Method for Assessment of Characteristics of European Innovation Ecosystems

Aims: The aim of the research is to investigate if certain characteristics (the sectoral focus of innovation ecosystems, the breadth of park functions, the position of human vs. technological focus, the presence of cooperation (commercial vs. research economy), the prosperity and success of the park, and the characteristics of park management) can be applied to evaluate innovation ecosystems, through the example of European science parks surveyed.

Study Design: Innovation ecosystems are important catalysts for R&D and innovation activities. In today's significantly changing technological environment, collaborative systems that can also contribute to the strengthening of high added value activities are of particular importance. Although innovation ecosystems have a long history, some aspects of the current R&D challenges need to be revisited. Research on the subject suggests that the innovation ecosystem is not an absolute concept, as in practice it takes many different forms. These ecosystems also offer a research framework whether the industry actually follows an interdisciplinary and academic trend on the formation of knowledge and its value within the industry itself. In fact, it is knowledge that develops people, or people who build this knowledge over time, in a participatory way. Therefore, the nature, structure and functioning of a given ecosystem depends on a number of factors; it can take different forms, depending on the specific regions, industries, cooperation systems and cultures.

Methodology: The concept and functioning of innovation ecosystems can be related to research on the characteristics of complex systems, based on previous research, and the research (questionnaire survey) therefore covers several topics of different nature. Members of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) participated in the survey. The analysis provides findings on the functioning of these characteristics and a comparison between innovation ecosystems. Finally, the authors make suggestions for possible future research directions and further work on the topic.

Results: The authors examined the sectoral focus of innovation ecosystems, the breadth of park functions, the position of human vs. technological focus, the presence of cooperation (commercial vs. research economy), the prosperity and success of the park, and the characteristics of park management by the survey of European science and technology parks. Based on discussing findings through these characteristics, the authors highlighted that these aspects and the methods of data processing can be used to point out features and differences of various science and technology parks.

Conclusion: The research has already focused on the classification of innovation ecosystems with different characteristics, and the present study builds on the related research findings, while focusing on the characteristics of the functioning of innovation ecosystems in Europe and the assessment of their interrelationships.