Abstract: In the new local-global interconnection, nation states are losing their influence and legitimacy while economic and cultural transformations are reconfiguring spatial formations. Going in line with the global trends, regions grasp more importance in shaping the political, economic and social environments. As a result, the regional level has an important role in creating a proper socio-economic framework for innovation development which is considered one the engines of development. Relying on the theory of social fields, the research considers three social forces (networks institutions and cognitive frames) as an alternative explanation for innovation processes by encompassing the aspects of different social fields on the regional level. As case studies, there were selected seven regions with different levels of innovation performance. The analysis of the focus groups with regional stakeholders emphasized that these social forces are a special component for explaining innovation processes in the selected case studies.