The creation of new knowledge is a social phenomenon, in which communication networks play a pivotal role by facilitating the flow and combination of ideas. At ANETI, we are excited to understand the spatial aspect of these processes. We are keen to explore how the dynamics of collaboration networks within and across cities help the mixture of different expertise and facilitate innovation.

Networks of firms, industries but also of technologies, skills and occupations in regions inform us about regional outcome in terms of technological and economic progress. This is especially important to understand how collective action can be taken by actors in the region in or how the local economy responses to external shocks. ANETI researchers pioneer new network approaches to understand these processes and to explain how regions develop new specializations through linkages.

Social and collaboration networks provide access to knowledge and to opportunities; thus, are critical to explain the success of firms, teams, projects, and individuals. We have been using administrative records to describe determinants of career upgrades of employees and productivity growth of firms, and collaboration networks to see how diversity can be paired with efficiency to gain the best outcomes.

Social networks provide opportunities but can also preserve and even foster inequalities. Advantages that individuals can get in fragmented networks or in core-periphery structures are unequal. We investigate how urban and network structures, social interactions, and network diffusion are related to dynamics of inequalities.

Collective behavior, such as massive adoption of new technologies is a complex social contagion phenomenon. Diffusion of innovation is known to have a strong spatial dependence but how social and collaboration networks contribute to that is less known. ANETI researchers investigate social media platforms, and data from patent documents and scientific publications to better understand this phenomenon.

By mixing diverse knowledge, cities have become the engines of technological and economic progress. However, segregation by income or ethnic background in residential areas or at visited places pose challenges for inclusive growth. At ANETI, we are investigating the relationship between mobility and mixing in cities by tracing mobile phones, analyzing public transport networks, and by looking at how mixing can help the establishment of bridging connections.

Individuals thrive in local economies by benefitting from the skills learned at home, in the school and at workplaces. The skills available locally are critical for firms and for policy as they determine development potentials. We are investigating labor mobility and skill-relatedness networks to understand factors of individual career upgrades and aim to reveal how social connections can facilitate matching demand and supply of skills.

Economies are thought to be maintained by business transactions and a competitive market framework where companies interact with each other based on strategic interests. On the other hand, open-source collaboration has been applied to the creation of many new technologies. The ongoing ANETI projects are focusing on the spatial dimension of both types of interactions.