Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Selection of Science Parks for Start-up Companies

Abstract

Science parks are crucial for an innovative economic setting since they act as 'development catalysts' driving the startup of newly established high-tech firms. The selection of the appropriate science park becomes a major decision for start-up entrepreneurs since it is a multi-criterion decision problem which includes both qualitative and quantitative factors. The aim of this paper is to identify the important and critical decision criteria for science park selection and develop a decision support system for start-up entrepreneurs. In this study, a fuzzy multi-criteria science park selection model using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method is proposed and applied to analytically select the best science park for a start-up company in Turkey.