Abstract Multiple approaches have been devised to capture recent transformations in university governance connected to sustainability and innovation agendas. This study operationalises the Sustainable Entrepreneurial University (SEU) framework to assess sustainability and entrepreneurship orientation in practice at a sample of Finnish research-intensive universities. Drawing on the framework’s theoretical foundations, the study evaluates its applicability across the selected universities. Through qualitative content analysis of the strategic plans of six universities, the study examines the alignment of institutional discourse with the Ivory Tower University, Entrepreneurial University, and SEU models. The findings provide a detailed analysis of each university’s strategic direction, emphasising their commitment to sustainability and entrepreneurship, with most coded text indicating the alignment with SEU principles. This research offers insights into the framework’s applicability and potential for refinement. Future research could explore the framework’s implementation and impact in other institutional contexts, and the development of metrics for sustainability to track progress.

Abstract This article examines the evolution of the Triple Helix as an academic movement, drawing on an analysis of a conference communication database. This exploratory research was performed on the proceedings and raw materials of international and regional events from 1996 to 2024, organized in an MS Excel database containing twelve metadata fields. Bibliometric and scientometric techniques were used to analyze the dataset. The communication database contains 2,190 entries, specifically conference publications. These academic outputs were authored by 4,561 individuals, with an average of 2.08 authors per communication. Researchers from Brazil, the UK, the USA, Italy, and Spain have a relevant presence in the movement. This article facilitates a deeper understanding of the academic movement’s trajectory over nearly thirty years. The findings primarily benefit scientific event organizers and researchers, who can identify sources for literature reviews and pinpoint gaps or issues for academic research and discussion. It also benefits the Triple Helix Association in overseeing the research network.

Abstract The aim of this study is to propose a theoretical model for performance management in collaborative projects arising from university-industry partnerships. The proposed Quadrant Model assesses the intensity of innovation that companies establish with universities. This analysis includes all collaborative innovation projects developed by transnational companies located in the UFRJ Science Park. Through an exploratory and qualitative study of multiple cases, this paper analyzed 332 projects from six R&D Centers of large companies with over seven years of residency in the Science Park. The results indicate that resident companies have made significant investments in projects with high uncertainty and risk. The developed Quadrant Model contributes to a deeper and more effective understanding of innovation management, providing a framework to guide management practices and decision-making in innovative environments.

Abstract Literature on the entrepreneurial university concept prominently lacks interaction with entrepreneurship education literature. Despite the apparent beneficial connections between (1) educating students encompassing entrepreneurial competencies and (2) the institutional framing of the entrepreneurial university concept, the latter has predominantly found its raison d’être in institutional theories and not pedagogical ones. Influential scholars such as Alan Gibb and Paul Hannon early articulated the benefits of tying entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial university literature together. This article positions the entrepreneurial university as an ‘emergent pedagogical space’ where the typology can find new relevance in educational theories of pedagogy and didactics. Based on an integrative review, the article discerns the disconnect between the two literature streams. It suggests an updated framework in which entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial university activities are closely linked to benefit higher education management, educators, and regional ecosystems.

Abstract Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) constitute complex systems with various interacting elements that are central in the process of generating innovation. While there is significant research on mature ecosystems, our understanding of the mechanisms that affect EEs is still limited when discussing early-stage EEs. In this context, universities are known to play an important role in orchestrating ecosystems. This article reimagines EEs as Activity Systems using Activity Theory and explores a university-driven cross-European EE collaborative format. The “Start For Future” ecosystem is used as a testbed to understand how the implementation of a holistic, inclusive entrepreneurial transformation model, can create a set of “congruencies” which enable ecosystem actors to collaborate and co-create despite inherent problems. Hence, this work identifies factors that facilitate the innovation process, the collaboration between ecosystem actors, and showcases the importance of universities in EEs as a trusted intermediary and a focal point for collaborative formats.

Abstract The critical literature review discusses the principles of Participation and Interconnectedness underlying the Triple Helix Model and Learning and Adaptation in the Sustainable Transition Model for their relevance in governing urban climate change adaptation. In this new framing, a secondary literature analysis of Barcelona’s struggle against air pollution is exemplified as a wicked problem caused by diverse stakeholder interests and their different sustainability concepts in socio-economic and environmental development. The paper offers a new perspective on sustainable, transformative pathways in cities which run on participative and adaptive governance principles. The backwards integration into the underlying principles of the meta-theories illustrates the value of triple helix and transition research and the benefit of their integration for examining and designing sustainable transition pathways.

Abstract The paper dates back to the period when the author became acquainted with Loet Leydesdorff and is mainly devoted to the research that the author had the opportunity to conduct together with Loet. Major research topics include the development of the Triple Helix model and the dynamic model of inter-social communication, which appear to be closely interrelated. The full consequences of his work are yet to be realized. I also present a vision of possible applications and future extensions of Loet’s work.

Abstract Global challenges demand more competitiveness from cities, calling for quick adaptation to changes brought about by the current knowledge economy. Innovation Districts (ID) stand out as the most favourable ecosystems to create economic, urban, social and governance solutions proactively and at the speed demanded by this rapid renewal of knowledge. Effective assessment is important in these areas to ensure efforts are guided to achieve the objectives set. Following validation by a panel of 17 experts through an international Fuzzy Delphi survey, and 15 experts in the DEMATEL multi-criteria decision-making approach, this study builds a conceptual framework in four dimensions (Urban, Economic, Social and Governance), with a set of 37 indicators identified as relevant to assess performance in ID and the power of influences among them. The resulting multidimensional innovation assessment framework is a powerful tool, being useful in determining the key impact indicators of existing innovation districts.

Abstract This study examines how academic engagement with society can be facilitated by higher education institution (HEI) managers by studying academics’ needs and their managers’ support for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (i.e., the determinants of self-determination). Interviews were conducted with managers (n=6) and academics (n=16) affiliated with HEIs from the Hochschulallianz für den Mittelstand in Germany. The findings indicate alignment and gaps between managers and academics. First, the need and support for autonomy were present. Second, managers suggested that academics had relevant competencies, but academics indicated they had a lack of such competencies. Third, managers perceived that there was a strong collaboration between academics; however, academics reported that they experience negative peer effects when collaborating with society. Aiming to bridge the gap using a bonding social capital approach, HEI managers are recommended to strengthen academics’ sense of belonging to an HEI and to promote access to capital and competencies that are within the HEI’s internal network.

Abstract In the original Triple Helix model (Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff 1995), the three “helices” of Universities, Industry and Government and the (3-way) interactions among and between them were proposed as a basis for looking at how entrepreneurship comes into being. Since the original article, other “helix-based” models have been proposed. Some vary the triple and others propose higher numbers of helix – with 4 and 5as the most typical extensions. In the article “Triple, Quadruple, and Higher-Order Helices: Historical phenomena and (neo-)evolutionary models,” Leydesdorff and Lawton Smith (2022) developed an Information-Theory based approach to look more formally at the need for higher-order helices. In the case of two helices, processes of mutual shaping can generate historical trajectories that could have been otherwise: other options providing possible states, which have not yet historically been realized (Petersen et al., 2016). Adding a third helix makes a substantive change from an information point of view: a Triple Helix model is not just the sum of three sets of 2-way interactions. However, once this number has been reached further additions can be decomposed into sets of triads (Batagelj et al., 2014; Simmel, 1902). This leads to the suggestion that higher-dimensional helix structures potentially add little to discourse. Four (sets of) authors were asked by the Editors of the Triple Helix to respond to Leydesdorff and Lawton Smith (2022). Many insightful and interesting points were raised including convenience, presentation and the need to allow a more unified theory model. These are discussed in this article’s “responses to just criticism” (Shostakovich, 1937). It continues the debate on triple and higher-order helices by summarising and responding to the points made by those commentators. What may be the status of triple and/or higher-order helices?