Collaborations with triple helix model between academia, government, and business have been an eminent approach to generate knowledge economy especially in regional development. Those practices are widely implemented in a science park, the centre where collaborations occur to commercialise research. Nonetheless, many countries have apparently not experienced similar result as suggested by the triple helix model. This is thought-provoking because the triple helix model in science park is globally encouraged regardless. With the case of Cimahi Techno Park in Indonesia, this study observes why the collaborations in science park can be maintained despite the existence of deviances. This study reveals that there are some compromises and modifications in the triple helix model to adjust innovation system with local conditions, such as involving universities for entrepreneurial consultation instead of research and altering science park as 'the catalyst' of local economic development instead of as the 'hybrid organisation'.
In this article, we address the challenge of embedding local knowledge in non-spatially defined innovation systems. We argue that this can be achieved via the inclusion of local civil society in innovation processes. The local population has knowledge of local challenges and potential, and is capable of developing locally relevant ideas. Embedding this knowledge in innovation processes requires a special set of methods that enable local actors to gain access to innovation processes and develop ideas, formulate challenges and identify potential opportunities on equal footing with other innovation actors. In this paper, we present such an approach in the form of a social foresight lab, as used in the context of technology transfer in rural areas to facilitate the identification of local challenges and potential, the collaborative development of ideas, and the regional embedding of non-spatially defined innovation processes. The principles underlying the above are experimentation, collaboration and real-world embeddedness.
As technological change has been identified as a one important driver of economic growth, the interest towards research, development, and innovation (RDI) has increased in academia and also in policy practices. However, a systemic analysis of innovation activities easily overlooks the role of the companies as key actors building the bridge between innovations and economic growth. Combining the analyses of innovation systems and entrepreneurial activities is important in ensuring the recognition of public and private stakeholders in regional development. This paper discusses the interplay of public and private sectors and concentrates on the companies and industry development in innovation systems. The case study in this article comes from the Oulu region in Northern Finland. This paper aims at describing and analysing public-funded projects as links between RDI and business development.
Often, start-ups reveal problems with asymmetric information that could be mitigated by a business incubator (BI). BIs can support new businesses, from creation through development and growth. This research aims to answer the follow research question: how is the decision-making of the incumbent firms influenced by the services and facilities offered by each BI? To achieve the objective of the research we used a sample of 39 start-ups incubated in Brazil and Portugal collected in Portugal (Lisbon) and Brazil (São Paulo). This study employs a survey to investigate how the decision of incubated start-ups for a BI were influenced by services and facilities available there. Descriptive statistics and correlation tests between the phases of the incubation process were applied. The results suggest the existence of a coherent relation between the incumbents' decisions on a BI and the services offered.
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of firm-level characteristics together with the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) associated with the introduction of different types of innovation (product/process/market/organisational). The paper is based on data from 830 firms located in Finland, and describes the development of a model for testing the firm-level factors that increase the innovativeness of SMEs. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine associations between innovativeness and the different explanatory factors put forward. The results show that the creation of novel product and process innovation appears to be associated with manufacturing industry, but on the other hand the creation of market innovation is linked to the field of trade. Furthermore, we found that the creation of process innovation was related to the location of firms, and innovation activity appears to be more common in rural areas than in central regions. The results also show that the creation of product/process/market/organisational innovation is positively associated with a firm's growth.
The term social capital tends to appear more and more in international literature as a major factor for accessing new sources of knowledge and information, creating innovation and supporting regional innovation systems. The main objective of this paper is to contribute insights to this stream of research by testing empirically the impact of social capital on innovation at the level of NUTS-2 and more specifically, on the 13 regions of Greece. The paper begins by defining social capital along with the various forms that this can acquire, the ways that social capital is measured internationally as well as its role in regional development. The above is followed by a close study of the contribution of social capital to the diffusion of knowledge and the strengthening of regional innovation. Finally, by evaluating and exploiting the results of the recent researches by the European social survey (ESS) and the regional innovation scoreboard (RIS) on the 13 Greek regions (NUTS-2) the paper will firstly present the available social capital reserves, secondly the most recent regional innovation performance and thirdly it will test to what extent social capital can be a source of high performance of regional innovation.
The performance of 1,200 representative firms in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic was analysed, differentiating between product innovation and three different forms of process innovations. This data was joined to the quality of societal institutions of the relevant country. With respect to product innovations, institutional quality exhibits mediate effects through financing of R&D and the design of the organisational structure, with larger technical/R&D departments being found in firms in environments of high societal quality. However firms located in European countries with a relatively low institutional quality, develop predominantly more process innovations. Regarding industrial sector, the data reveals that firms in the wholesale and trade areas follow quite different innovation patterns compared to manufacturing/production. Manufacturing firms make predominantly product innovations, often financed by external sources, whereas firms in wholesale and trade make more process innovations and these tend to be financed by internal sources.
Brazil's underdevelopment can be partly blamed on a low level of investments in research and development, causing its technology structure to be relatively backward in terms of innovation. The 'metal-mechanical complex', located in the South Fluminense Mesoregion (SFM) of the state of Rio de Janeiro, is recognised for its high economic importance to the country due to the presence of factories owned by large multinational and national companies and the corresponding group of firms supplying goods and services to them. The objective of this study was to assess the mesoregion's technological development through comparison of eight high-tech projects (four in the SFM and four in other parts of the state) that received financial support from the funding agency FAPERJ to produce innovative products or processes. This analysis first relied on computing scientometric and indicators and then involved comparing the efficiencies of the new firms by data envelopment analysis (DEA). The results revealed that the SFM, although highly industrialised, does not have a compatible level of technological development.
Intense global competition forces regions to seek new ways to boost innovativeness and the success of local enterprises. This paper focuses on triple helix collaboration to support regional innovation-led development and economy. Various options exist for structuring and implementing triple helix collaboration. However, current empirical knowledge is inadequate for stakeholders interested and involved in regional strategy creation and implementation. This study analyses the strategic structures and implementation of triple helix collaboration in two regional cases: Brainport (Netherlands) and Oulu innovation alliance (OIA, Finland). Case Brainport introduces a holistic approach and high profile role in regional development, whereas case OIA demonstrates the knowledge institutes' role in regional development in five spearhead areas. The cases illustrate two empirical ways to utilise triple helix mandate and strategic structures in regional development and strategy processes. The case comparison demonstrates diverse options for organising triple helix collaboration.
A knowledge production function is used to account for the efficiency of an innovation systems; it provides a quantile regression estimation of the knowledge production function to account for a nonlinear relationship (efficiency) between knowledge inputs and knowledge output.Regional data for researchers, expenditures on R&D and patent grants for the USA and the Russian Federation is used in two different designs.In both countries, groups of regions exist with smaller sized research systems that report significantly different dynamics and thus knowledge production functions than regions with larger sized research systems.In the USA, regions with small research systems report decreasing returns to knowledge inputs while region with large research systems report increasing returns to knowledge inputs thus efficiency is achieved in fostering larger regional innovation systems.In the Russian Federation, the effect is exactly the opposite; it is the smaller regional innovation systems that are most productive.
The increasing interest in innovative solutions to societal challenges in policy and research has opened up the innovation area for a wider range of participants and beneficiaries than previously acknowledged, which in this article is studied in terms of inclusive innovation. In order to strengthen the conceptual connection between the dawning field of inclusive innovation studies and more established fields within innovation studies, the study scrutinises how innovativeness relates to inclusiveness and vice versa in the light of previous knowledge. The conceptual outline is applied in a comparative case study of two regional innovation processes in Sweden, that share the ambition to tackle societal challenges by cross-boundary interaction, guided by values of equality and sustainability, at the same time as differing in scope and beneficiaries, due to their industrial and societal orientations. The combined theoretical and practical insights help delineate six distinct links between innovativeness and inclusiveness in inclusive innovation.
This article proposes a theoretical-methodological approach for the modelling and creation of entrepreneurial ecosystems, a notion that dominates in current entrepreneurial literature. Drawing upon the extant literature on ecosystems and their complexity in different contexts we focus on Manizales Más, an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Colombia, to discuss it as an artefact of fourth order design. At present, the relevant literature and theoretical insights are summarised while appropriate methodology for future research is discussed. The study aims at connecting the general notion of 'ecosystem' with entrepreneurial ecosystems in a precise way for further empirical research.
This study adopts a novel approach of conceptualising entrepreneurial universities through the lens of the UN higher education sustainability initiative (HESI). Transcending the narrow approach of the entrepreneurial universities as generating spin-offs, entrepreneurial universities are closely linked with the concept of sustainable development. Interpreting entrepreneurial universities as agents promoting economic, social and environmental change, the HESI can offer a useful framework for expanding the potential of entrepreneurial universities. This study reveals that whilst the majority of HESI signatories only commit to a limited number of sustainable development goals (SDGs), there is sufficient evidence of 'best practices' to regard the HESI as a useful and transformative framework for HEIs that can encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. To this extent, this paper aims to capture the interaction between entrepreneurial universities and the SDGs. However, the paper draws attention to the need for a holistic approach for HEIs that allows for more transdisciplinary thinking and collaboration. It is revealed that this can be challenging for HEIs.
This article explored academic entrepreneurship in Nigerian universities with a view to understanding important determinants and support structures for promoting innovations. With intense pressure on universities to contribute to economic growth and fulfil the 'third mission' objective, it becomes imperative to examine various ways Nigerian academics contribute to this development. The article is premised on the knowledge spill-over theory of entrepreneurship, shifting the lens of analysis on scientists and researchers. Data were collected from 229 faculties, selected from thirteen universities in Southwest, Nigeria. The results revealed that most academics participated in entrepreneurial activities related to training and consultancy while the incidence of start-up formation was low. The type of research conducted, intellectual property (IP) disclosure, entrepreneurship training attended and rewards system in the university showed statistically significant relationship with entrepreneurial engagements while job status and presence of technology transfer offices or similar facilities did not. The article concludes with plausible policy options to strengthen academic entrepreneurship in these universities.
The concept of the entrepreneurial university is open to interpretation. We take the most successful representatives of two distinct types of entrepreneurial university and compare them, their impact and the language they use to describe themselves online. We use content analysis to examine the balance of business language, entrepreneurial language and vocabulary that is specific to entrepreneurial orientation. The findings show that the universities that win entrepreneurship awards, and those that create entrepreneurial ventures, are entirely separate groups. They behave differently, they are organised differently and their use of entrepreneurial language reflects their chosen structures. Additionally, the criteria used by the awards effectively exclude the most productive venture-creating universities. The findings illustrate the gap between theoretical measures of entrepreneurship and practical impact. The study is important for theorists, universities, awarding bodies and policy-makers.
The aim of this article is to observe the expected 'gender gap' in entrepreneurship in Greece. Drawing upon entrepreneurial literature which has revealed certain differences between male and female entrepreneurs, or prospective entrepreneurs and the wide fostering of the entrepreneurial mindset through formal or informal educational settings during the last years, the survey seeks to examine persistent gender differences. The survey analysed responses to a questionnaire from local graduates and practitioners of a Greek region. The prevalence of male entrepreneurs, or nascent entrepreneurs, was verified along with the elimination of gender differences regarding self-confidence in entrepreneurial tasks as a result of educational interventions. Nonetheless, the expected higher need for independence than financial rewards for females was not verified, indicating a homogeneous entrepreneurial orientation between the genders. The study revealed gender differences in normative beliefs, competitiveness and entrepreneurial identity that could be attributed to the Greek culture. The latter characteristics are the most resistant to change through educational interventions compared with entrepreneurial self-efficacy and knowledge. The implications of the findings concern policies and educational interventions towards empowering female entrepreneurship.
The aim of this study is to further explore and deepen research in place development with focus on inclusive networking related to renewal processes in smaller harbour cities in Scandinavia. The results are based on a multiple case study comprising in-depth interviews with driving network actors, document studies and observations from six different harbour cities in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The research questions focus on the characteristics of networks and inclusiveness, knowledge sharing and renewal processes related to networking. This study illustrates different inclusive network approaches for place development. Smaller harbour cities are dynamic places for cross-sector collaboration and networking, although driving network actors struggle with underlying mechanisms related to network characteristics, inclusiveness and governance. Furthermore, findings stress that communication, a sharing culture, transparency and democratic values are vital to enable trust, knowledge sharing and legitimacy for inclusive networking in place development.
Successful innovation and university-business cooperation (UBC) requires the creation of platforms dedicated to the generation and exploitation of innovation and realisation of value. UBC is an accepted and expected feature of the higher education and innovation landscapes of developed countries, but has not yet become institutionalised or well understood in developing economies. This research was conducted in Central Asia (CA). The paper takes an instutional perspective based on a group of 14 case studies of the design, development and implementation of new UBC intermediary agencies. Few relevant studies have been undertaken in CA and exploring the fit between the culture of CA economies and their HEIs is an important addition to our overall understanding of UBC. Whilst care needs to be exercised in generalising findings from this context, there are useful lessons to be learned which have much wider application.
One of the most important challenges for current supply chains is environmental protection. Companies are beginning to take into account the environmental impact of their operations and make informed decisions on their processes and supply chains, thereby becoming more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable. However, in many cases, especially among SMEs, the related know-how, as well as competences required for successful implementation of the sustainable practices are missing. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate results of a European project that resulted in the development of a process of gaining key competencies for the implementation of energy efficient and sustainable supply chain operations. Furthermore the content discuses and provides an example of an education for sustainable development (ESD) framework, as well as supporting activities in order to enable its successful implementation.
The Valparaiso Region has a diversified economic base, however, nationwide, its technological capability ranks only in the average range. No specific information about the structure of its innovation system exists; therefore, the objectives of this study were the identification of the firms and organisations with innovative capabilities in the region, the mapping of the technological innovation network, and its analysis. By means of a survey completed by firms' managers, a list of their innovation-based relationships was obtained, allowing the characterisation of the existing innovation network. What emerged is a network with two local universities and a Chilean Government agency as the main orchestrators of the innovative effort. Using factor analysis it was found that regionally innovation is fostered by the institutional and industrial environment, complemented by customers' needs and local universities. As the region is next to the country's capital city, this closeness diminishes the innovative capabilities of regional firms.
