The paper presents the research concept and the key questions the team put forward during the implementation of the project entitled ‘Changing innovation processes models: a chance to break out of dependency paths for less developed regions’. In this chapter, research hypotheses, key concepts concerning the theory of path dependence, a review of the enablers and barriers in shaping development paths regarding the individual parts of the research project are indicated. There are also references to public policy proposals that can support the development of the peripheral paths of the peripheral regions as well as future research concepts of this issue.

The aim of the paper is to elaborate hypotheses concerning path development of regions and breaking out of existing paths, with emphasis on less developed regions. The findings show that changing the development paths may be caused mainly by evolutionary process and shocks play rather substitutional role in this phenomenon. Also, the higher a region is exposed and aff ected by an event, the more short-term adaptation abilities it has. Findings are unambiguous when we wanted to confi rm whether path dependence leads to specialisation of the economy and whether over-specialisation dampens innovativeness since innovations in most industries are related to locations with diverse urban base. However, findings are clear about breaking out of path dependency by less developed regions. We identify examples of less developed regions that changed their development paths despite the dependence on several declining industries. This has been achieved through the appropriate policy pursued by the regional authorities, the very good preparation and education of human capital. Thus, good regional strategy, including innovation strategy could be the leading point in breaking out of path dependency for less developed regions.

Less developed regions hardly break out of path dependency. These regions encounter a serious number of problems hampering the possibility to accelerate their growth. Thus, the aim of the paper is to analyse the possibility of changing development paths by less developed regions based on previous experience in recent years. Regions that managed to change the development path were characterized by a coherent regional policy, a very good preparation and education of human capital, a strong centre of the region (the metropolitan area) facilitating the development of entrepreneurship and innovation based on new industries (like service industries) and demand for manufactured goods and services. At the same time, the main city in the region must bridge the developing new path and the global world – it must provide physical and virtual accessibility for the whole region.

The aim of the research is to conceptualise the methodology of analysing regional development paths. To do so, the model of regional development path transformation was created. The model consists of indicators describing each of the process areas: 1) path dependency; 2) event exposure; 3) adaptation to short-term shocks; 4) long-term adaptability, and 5) region performance. The model also indicates relationships between these indicators and describes the most probable behaviours of the regional economies during the process.

The aim of the research was to identify factors favouring the change of innovation process models by diff erent regions, especially less developed regions. The chapter addresses the most critical issues in the literature of path dependence and resilience. Literature analysis allowed to identify the puzzling areas of the existing research and build out of them a transparent and holistic approach to a comprehensive set of conditions for the transformation of regional development paths. Findings of the research are an important step in understanding nonlinear and holistic processes of the renewal and creation of the regional development paths, as well as explaining how adaptation to short-term shocks and long-term adaptability is the result of the interactions among path dependency, event exposure and reactive ability.