Comparative analysis of technopolis feasibility and its theoretical model presentation based on meta-synthesis method and foundation data

Technopolis is an urban corridor with a high density of technology-based creative industries and a strong set of government, private and public-private initiatives. Based on this, the aim of the current research is to extract the realization process of Technopolis and its theoretical model presentation. The current research is fundamental and its method is descriptive-exploratory. Its approach is to use meta-synthesis and foundation-data methods and in the framework of qualitative systematic review, it has analyzed the feasibility of Technopolis. The statistical population includes all the articles and documents that were published in relation to the research topic between 1991 and 2022 in reliable scientific databases such as Science Direct, Springer, Taylor and Francis, Emerald, Researchgate, and ProQuest. Systematic sampling method and the process of searching and selecting related articles using various parameters such as title, abstract, content, and method quality have been done. In this process, from 322 primary articles and documents, finally, 62 articles and documents were selected for meta-synthesis. The largest number of selected articles and documents was related to the period of 2015-2022 (34 cases equivalent to more than 50% of all research articles and documents). The results show 76 codes related to the realization process of Technopolis, which are divided into 12 categories consisting of Technopolis positioning factors; basic technology; the role of the university; drivers of regional innovation; specialized cluster; company size; industrial accumulation; social networks; stakeholders; the expansion of the market, urban planning, and finally the multidimensional and interwoven layers of technopolis. The comparative analysis of the types of technopolises shows that there are two main types of technopolises. The first type is technopolises such as Silicon Valley and Sophia Antipolis with a global function that manages information and communication technology management at the global level. The second type is technopolises such as Zhongguancun and One North, which have a local and regional function in the field of technology production, and at the same time are moving towards a global function. Finally, the findings led to the identification of the causal conditions, background conditions, intervening conditions, key dimensions, consequences, and strategies for the realization of technopolis.