Universities as orchestrators of the development of regional innovation ecosystems in emerging economies
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley Periodicals LLC
Abstract
This paper analyses the role of universities as orchestrators
of the development of a regional ecosystem that is conducive
to innovation and entrepreneurship. We argue that universi-
ties in emerging economies, due to many social challenges,
must go beyond their missions of teaching, research, and
collaboration with industry for innovation. We present
a unique case study of an alliance of three universities in
Porto Alegre, Brazil that, in addition to being competitors
in the above-mentioned missions, are orchestrating a net-
work of stakeholders in this region to develop an ecosystem
for innovation and entrepreneurship. We demonstrate that
universities perform several orchestration processes that are
consistent with the literature, such as fostering knowledge
mobility, managing innovation appropriability, and increas-
ing network stability. Furthermore, we found differences in
how innovation ecosystems are orchestrated as compared
to firm networks. In the case of innovation ecosystems, ap-
propriability reaches the broader region, and the benefits are
not limited to participant stakeholders. Such orchestration
processes emerge when universities take on leadership po-
sitions in the region; they can influence the beginning of
collective actions and projects as well as transfer responsi-
bility, delegating power to other actors in the network.
Description
practical session.
Keywords
Universities, Orchestrators, Development, Regional innovation ecosystems, Emerging economies
Citation
https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12442