Anna Butzin has a doctoral degree in geography and is senior researcher in the department Innovation, Space and Culture at Institute for Work and Technology in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Anna has been involved in many German and European research projects on regional development, comparative studies of innovation processes, and social innovation. Her research focuses on forms of local and regional innovation, dynamics of local and regional knowledge generation and on theoretical perspectives on the spatial diffusion of social innovation. Anna teaches geography and planning classes and frequently publishes in national and international journals.