Page 28 - A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers: Reinforcing the Innovation-Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean

28 REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 29

Meanwhile, governmental agencies at regional, tissue, or Triple Helix as shown in Figure 4. It is in In the transition towards an interactive Triple Helix Model, the three spheres will interact and collaborate increasingly which
national, and transnational levels, seek to this process that the embeddedness of innovation will lead to increased innovation activities
facilitate university-industry collaboration in the respective ecosystem is crucial. This change Figure 4
and business creation through regulatory has impacted the mission of universities and has The Triple Helix transition
frameworks, services, infrastructures, and contributed to the emergence of the so-called
funding schemes. In all national and regional ‘third mission’, blurring the boundaries of the S TATIS T TRIPLE HELIX
settings, policy attention to innovation processes traditional basic roles of university, industry and
is becoming a priority, even if national regulation government (e.g. universities increasingly take Typically present in Low-income countries
may still hinder the proactive role of universities part in commercial activity through patenting Academia
in innovation in some cases and financial formats and licensing, moving beyond the production of The three institutional spheres (academia, industry and
may not always do justice to the new forms of basic research). Moving towards an interactive government) are clearly separate. Government plays
interaction. Triple Helix also leads to the emergence of the major role in steering academia and industry to
intermediaries and the hybridisation across the encourage innovation. Generally, industry is regarded
as the national champion, whilst academia’s role is
Working together, the three spheres become a new overlapping spheres. Nevertheless, each entity reduced to teaching and research. However, with this
motor of innovation, with intertwining common retains a strong primacy in its original field of model, government or industry do not leverage the
interests, values, strategies, investments, and expertise: the university remains the main source Industry Government knowledge generation potential of universities or
narratives. Thus, in the process of transforming of knowledge production, industry is the primary research centres as both teaching and research are too
their own roles, academia, industry, and vehicle of commercialisation and the government distant from industry needs and there is no incentive
governmental agencies develop a connective retains its regulatory role. for academia to engage in research with industry.

LAISSEZ-FAIRE TRIPLE HELIX

Academia Typically present in Middle-income countries
Academia, industry, and government operate apart
from each other in three separate institutional spheres.
Academia’s task is to supply trained human capital
(graduates) and basic research (knowledge, mainly
in the form of publications). Industry identifies the
research that is relevant (to compete in the market)
Industry Government without much interaction with academia. Government
is limited to addressing problems that can be defined
as market failures, with solutions that the private sector
cannot or will not support.

INTERA C TIVE TRIPLE HELIX

Typically present in High-income countries

Academia This interactive Triple Helix is characterised by (1)
a prominent role for academia in innovation; (2) a
movement towards collaborative relationships among
the three spheres in which innovation policy is an
outcome of their interactions rather than a prescription
from the government; and (3) strong bilateral and
trilateral relationships between the three spheres
through consensus spaces and hybrid organisation. A
Industry Government science park is an example of the type of organisation
Insights from 35 organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean, that could typically be found in the centre. Groups of
a mapping of 146 initiatives and best practices in the region, business actors collaborate with the government and
academia to achieve common long-term strategic
and an extensive literature review informed the publication. goals. Universities become more entrepreneurial as
they establish new relationships with industry and
change their mission.
Source: Ranga and Etzkowitz (2013) 26