Can processes make relationships work? The Triple Helix between structure and action

This contribution seeks to explore how complex adaptive theory can be applied at the conceptual level to unpack Triple Helix models. We use two cases to examine this issue – the Finnish Strategic Centres for Science, Technology & Innovation (SHOKs) and the Canadian Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE). Both types of centres are organisational structures that aspire to be business-led, with a considerable portion of their activities driven by (industrial) users’ interests and requirements. Reflecting on the centres’ activities along three dimensions – knowledge generation, consensus building and innovation – we contend that conceptualising the Triple Helix from a process perspective will improve the dialogue between stakeholders and shareholders

Epistemic Communities Facing a New Type of Agora? Centres of Science, Technology and Innovation as Defining the New Research Landscape in Finland

We analyse the question of what role and positions epistemic communities have in the agora, and more specifically in the new mediating organizations that are established at the interface of the state, businesses and universities. These new organizational structures embody the present politics of knowledge that reign in national science policy globally. The new organizational structures, as potentially new agoras, also epitomize several of the changes that have taken place in the science and industry landscape of the past decades all over Europe and the world. We are interested in understanding how epistemic communities are situated vis-�-vis agora in knowledge production. The empirical example comes from Finland, where major new institutional reforms in science policy, the new strategic centres of science, technology and innovations, have been implemented to create possibilities for new knowledge creation and new product and service development. These centres of science, technology and innovations (CSTIs) were originally planned as functioning agoras, open, simultaneous and joint platforms for the state, businesses, researchers and universities. In the article we show how the organizational structure and decision making processes adopted in the CSTIs have changed the original idea of agora, thus changing also the position of epistemic communities involved. In the process, we evaluate Nowotny\'s interpretation of agora.Epistemic Communities, Agora, Science Policy, Finland, Research Landscape, STS Studies, Critical Research, Qualitative Study, Company, Power

Sociological and Communication-Theoretical Perspectives on the Commercialization of the Sciences

Both self-organization and organization are important for the further development of the sciences: the two dynamics condition and enable each other. Commercial and public considerations can interact and "interpenetrate" in historical organization; different codes of communication are then "recombined." However, self-organization in the symbolically generalized codes of communication can be expected to operate at the global level. The Triple Helix model allows for both a neo-institutional appreciation in terms of historical networks of university-industry-government relations and a neo-evolutionary interpretation in terms of three functions: (i) novelty production, (i) wealth generation, and (iii) political control. Using this model, one can appreciate both subdynamics. The mutual information in three dimensions enables us to measure the trade-off between organization and self-organization as a possible synergy. The question of optimization between commercial and public interests in the different sciences can thus be made empirical.Comment: Science & Education (forthcoming

Smart Specialisation as an Engagement Framework for Triple Helix Interactions

The Triple Helix (TH) framework is a well-established theoretical concept and a basis for portraying patterns of industry-science-government interactions. The TH framework provides a useful depiction and description of what might take place in what are commonly described as ‘regional innovation ecosystems’. There is a presumption that interactions will evolve around the convergence of missions concerning creation and utilisation of knowledge, regional networks, government regulation and venture finance, and decisions of multinational corporations and international organisations. However, like the regional innovation systems model itself, the TH model offers little in the way of practical guidance about how interactions can be nurtured and developed, what and where new public and private innovation investments should be made, the most appropriate way to go about building and strengthening engagement between institutions to achieve innovation outcomes, and most significantly, the governance and intermediary arrangements appropriate to guide planning, budgeting and resource allocation at a regional level. This paper addresses the extent to which the Smart Specialisation framework can address those investment, engagement and governance issues

The Role of the University for Promoting Sustainability through Third Mission and Quintuple Helix Model: The Case Study of the Tor Vergata University of Rome

The research aims to analyze the role of universities to promote sustainable strategies inside and outside their academic communities. In particular, the focus is on projects promoted by the Academia that respond to the big problem regarding waste. After an analysis of the literature on the evolution of the Helix Model and the Third Mission of University, the research focuses on the analysis of the causes of the open call “Mission Sustainability” promoted by the “Tor Vergata” University of Rome, aiming to promote sustainable action in the territory, in a specific project involving the installation of incentivizing compactors in the Campus for PET collection. The research methodology applied to the case study, mainly qualitative, is based on the document analysis of university report and strategy planning, the call and the specific project promoted by professors and researchers titled “GREENtosi for UniRecycling purpose between Third Mission and Sustainability. A virtuous experimental partnership with a view to the quintuple helix in the socio-ecological transition context”. This case is relevant for both academic and practical aspects because it is a research application in a specific context leading to the following main results: sensitization and awareness of students, employees and the whole academic community on the problem of waste from PET plastic; involvement of stakeholders in public engagement activities for collecting waste; studying the practical application of possible benefits from the installation of compactors and increasing the sense of belonging towards the University, green and common space care

Sustainable entrepreneurial culture in promoting innovation: a higher education perspective

This research aimed to build a quadruple-helix partnership model between universities, government, industry, and community from the higher education (HE) perspective in creating various innovations to support sustainable regional socio-economic development. This study used exploratory quantitative research to develop, predict the model, and explain the empirical evidence. In addition to the model, this study found that institutional sustainable entrepreneurial culture (SEC) could be developed by transforming the university into an entrepreneurial university (EU) and applying sustainable development goals (SDGs) principles to teaching-researching-community service activities, management and governance, and institutional leadership. This study also confirmed that universities with an SEC cannot directly affect the emergence of various innovations sourced from knowledge and research results but must be mediated by internal consensus within academia and external consensus among partnership actors. The research contributions are aimed at: i) HE policymakers who will transform their institutions into EU as a first step in carrying out the university’s third mission; ii) HE will build quadruple helix partnerships; and iii) Micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) which will take advantage of the innovations offered in the quadruple-helix. In addition, this research deepens the Etzkowitz partnership path model in which HE, a source of knowledge for innovation, becomes more focused in the form of SDGs-based EU

THE ROLE OF THE UNIVERSITY FOR PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH THIRD MISSION AND QUINTUPLE HELIX MODEL: THE CASE STUDY OF THE TOR VERGATA UNIVERSITY OF ROME

The research aims to analyze the role of universities to promote sustainable strategies inside and outside their academic communities. In particular, the focus is on projects promoted by the Academia that respond to the big problem regarding waste. After an analysis of the literature on the evolution of the Helix Model and the Third Mission of University, the research focuses on the analysis of the causes of the open call “Mission Sustainability” promoted by the “Tor Vergata” University of Rome, aiming to promote sustainable action in the territory, in a specific project involving the installation of incentivizing compactors in the Campus for PET collection. The research methodology applied to the case study, mainly qualitative, is based on the document analysis of university report and strategy planning, the call and the specific project promoted by professors and researchers titled “GREENtosi for UniRecycling purpose between Third Mission and Sustainability. A virtuous experimental partnership with a view to the quintuple helix in the socio-ecological transition context”. This case is relevant for both academic and practical aspects because it is a research application in a specific context leading to the following main results: sensitization and awareness of students, employees and the whole academic community on the problem of waste from PET plastic; involvement of stakeholders in public engagement activities for collecting waste; studying the practical application of possible benefits from the installation of compactors and increasing the sense of belonging towards the University, green and common space care

Towards New Triple Helix Organisations?:A Comparative Study of Competence Centres as Knowledge, Consensus and Innovation Spaces

This contribution explores new organisational forms facilitating Triple Helix relations. Analysts have pointed to the blurring of institutional boundaries and the emergence of hybrid organisations at the interface between university, industry and government. Starting out from the notion that Triple Helix organisations develop and maintain knowledge, consensus and innovation spaces, we explore four cases of competence centres that operate in this context. Comparing them, we identify Finnish SHOK centres as the most radical departure from more traditional forms of university–industry collaboration. These can be characterised as independent legal entities that are involved in integrating a large, possibly cluster-level or technology-focused network, defining the agenda for specific specialisation areas by engaging in all or most of the Triple Helix spaces. We argue they could be better positioned than existing intermediary organisations to deliver the Triple Helix concept.</p