IP Publishing Ltd 
June 2010 ISSUE (VOL 24, NO 3)
148 Monitor
A bimonthly round-up of developments worldwide
151 Introduction: the Triple Helix and the Third Mission – Schumpeter revisited
165 Academic entrepreneurship, innovation policies and politics in Greece
189 Key knowledge providers as sources of business innovation
237 Calendar
Abstract: Recent national and regional innovation policies have both catalysed and compounded the entrepreneurial tendency in higher education, redefining the traditional roles of universities. While academic debate has for some time addressed the importance of universities to regional economic development, more recent literature has focused explicitly on how universities engage directly with (regional) economies. Such engagement is entirely contingent on the capacity of universities and, since not all universities are equal, this presents a considerable challenge for academic debate and policy makers alike. In other words, public policy and institutional design need to maximize the impact of the ‘Third Mission’ by understanding better the factors that underpin it, irrespective of context. This paper introduces entrepreneurial architecture (EA) as both a theoretical bridge and a practical approach that unites endogenous – and mutable – determinants of the entrepreneurial university. First, the paper presents a contextual overview of the academic literature and situates the contribution of EA in contemporary debates. This is followed by development of the conceptual foundations of EA; and the third section concludes with the academic and policy implications of the concept and outlines avenues for future research.
Title: Academic entrepreneurship, innovation policies and politics in Greece
Abstract: This paper explores the process of the emergence in Greece of the ‘Triple Helix’, and the nature of the ‘Helix’ in the context of the concurrent changes occurring in Greek socio-political affairs. The influence of politics and innovation policies on the relationships between academia and government and industry is considered. Emphasis is given to national and regional innovation policies and their impact on the commercialization of academic research in the National Technical University of Athens, the University of Thessaly and the Foundation for Research and Technology — Hellas (FORTH) in Crete.
Abstract: This paper examines the university–industry–government relationship as a mechanism for enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The case of a community enterprise producing dried banana products in the north of Thailand is used to demonstrate the significance of the Triple Helix model for business and technology development in SMEs. Government initiatives designed to promote innovation leading to price and quality competitiveness of the products of SMEs and community enterprises are explored and their effectiveness is discussed. In developing countries, where there are weak links and limited interactions between the institutional sectors of government, academia and industry, intermediaries play a crucial role in building networks to facilitate the transfer and exchange of knowledge. Effective network links would enable SMEs to have access to various sources of financial, knowledge, technology and market support. In Thailand, the Industrial Technology Assistance Programme (ITAP) plays an important intermediary role in identifying the needs of SMEs, accessing relevant knowledge and technology from universities and other sources of knowledge, and matching the demand of SMEs for knowledge/technology with the supply available from universities and research and development laboratories. The experience of the dried banana community enterprise discussed in this paper gives credence to the view that SMEs in developing countries such as Thailand would benefit significantly from technology policy based on the Triple Helix model and the proactive role of intermediary agencies such as ITAP.
Title: Key knowledge providers as sources of business innovation
Abstract: Studies of innovation are giving increasing attention to the relationships that businesses maintain with different participants in the innovation process. It is generally assumed that interaction with other businesses, universities and government organizations can generate knowledge that will improve the ability to innovate. However, there is little evidence of the specific roles that businesses assign to partners with regard to the provision of knowledge for innovation activities. This paper presents results from research on the dynamics of Triple Helix networks, where such networks provide the basis for building innovation capacity for businesses in catch-up geographical regions. The principal assumption is that businesses adopting an open collaboration strategy have a greater capacity to combine knowledge from different sources and adapt the knowledge to suit their innovation processes. A large set of key indicators is used to identify which regional sources are considered by businesses to be important for acquiring knowledge. The study is based on a survey of 737 businesses in the Andalusia region of Southern Spain and analysis of the results provides a typology of businesses characterized by the extent to which they focus their interest on specific groups of participants in the innovation process. The conclusions highlight and compare the role of universities with that of business networks, service providers, government and other sources.
Abstract: In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer processes between academia and industry. Although there is growing evidence that the characteristics of individual researchers are important when explaining cases of successful transfer, few studies have taken the individual researcher as their unit of analysis. This study uses social network theory techniques to gain a better insight into knowledge transfer processes. In particular, the authors study how the characteristics of ties among individuals and the interdisciplinary and pervasive nature of research affect the diversity of knowledge transfer activities. To this end, an empirical study was conducted among researchers in the field of nanotechnology, a sector chosen for its interdisciplinary nature and expected pervasiveness. Data were collected using a survey carried out in Spain and The Netherlands, allowing the authors to correct for environmental and contextual effects.
Abstract: Two emergent conceptual models for fostering the development of innovative technology through applied science at Cooperative Research Centers (CRCs) – the Triple Helix and the science of team science – have proved highly productive in stimulating research into how the innovation process works. Although the two arenas for fostering innovation have much in common, there has been relatively little synergy, or even interaction, between the researchers who study them. In this paper the authors discuss a programme of research that has attempted to blend the two, by shedding light on team processes within Triple Helix CRCs. They report findings from CRCs in relation to the comparative characteristics of single-scientist and multi-scientist, team-based partnerships; collaborative processes among CRC scientists, sometimes involving ‘serial’ collaboration; and the role of spatial factors in team-based processes. The paper also explores the possibilities for exploiting the synergies between Triple Helix and science of team science for public policy, innovative practices and future research.
Title: University spin-offs in Sweden: a longitudinal study
Abstract: There have been few studies on the long-term performance of university spin-offs (USOs). This paper builds on previous empirical research into the performance of USOs and on the resource- based model of USOs. Several research issues are addressed including, in particular, the long-term performance of Swedish USOs, the distribution of the main types of business, the extent to which USOs have been in contact with support organizations, and by how much the potential growth of USOs has been achieved by the dissemination of technological knowledge to other businesses through patents, licences and other activities of the founder of the USO. The results of studies of 25 Swedish USOs, all started between 1962 and 1990 and with a median age of 25 years, confirm previous research on USOs which experienced limited growth. The analysis indicates that most of the USOs usually operate as ‘simple’ types of business, such as consultancy services; and that 60% have been in contact with support organizations.
Title: Italian universities and the Third Mission
Abstract: This paper examines the diffusion of entrepreneurial activities among Italian universities, the evolution of the organizational models implemented to facilitate such activities and the commitment of the universities to the Third Mission of social and economic development. As previous analyses have shown, Italian universities have only recently moved towards the valorisation and exploitation of their scientific knowledge. In contrast to the varied and in some cases openly hostile attitudes of the past, there now seems to be greater acceptance of and a more positive approach towards entrepreneurship. Many universities have introduced innovations both in the organizational processes and activities of scientific research and in the management of research results. Because empirical evidence is very limited, the authors have used a longitudinal analysis to contribute to debate on the subject, with a discussion of the evolution of universities currently engaged in such activities and identification of possible changes in their cultures.