Organizing practices of university, industry and government that facilitate or impede the transition to a hybrid triple helix model of innovation

Sep 8, 2026

Drawing on the contemporary turn to discursive practices, the study examines how organizing practices among industry, university, and government facilitate or impede developing countries’ transition to a hybrid triple helix model of innovation. Using an emphasis on everyday situated practices of institutional agents, their interactions, and collaborative relationships, three practice domains are identified: advanced research capabilities and external partnerships, quantification of scientific knowledge and outputs, and collective entrepreneurship. The work also highlights contextual effects of differing interpretive schemata on innovation organization across the actors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatDOCX

Pages29

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Knowledge-based economy and national systems of innovation

The triple helix model and developing-country focus

Critiques and micro-foundations

Research question and organizing practices concept

Approach and triadic influence framework

David Sarpong1, Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:David2.Sarpong@uwe.ac.uk" David2.Sarpong@uwe.ac.uk Azley AbdRazak2, Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:Azley.AbdRazak@uwe.ac.uk" Azley.AbdRazak@uwe.ac.uk Elizabeth Alexander3, Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:Elizabeth2.Alexander@uwe.ac.uk" Elizabeth2.Alexander@uwe.ac.uk Dirk Meissner4, Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:dmeissner@hse.ru" dmeissner@hse.ru Authors Affiliation123: Bristol Business School University of the West of England Bristol, BS16 1QY United Kingdom Authors Affliation4 : Research Lab for Science and Technology Studies Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge National Research University - Higher School of Economics Myasnitskaya st., 20 Organizing practices of university, industry and government that facilitate (or impede) the transition to a hybrid triple helix model of innovation Abstract Drawing on the contemporary turn to discursive practices we examine how the organizing practices of industry, university and government facilitate (or impede) developing countries transition to a hybrid triple helix model of innovation. Placing emphasis on the everyday situated practices of institutional agents, their interactions, and collaborative relationships, we identified three domains of practices (advanced research capabilities and external partnerships, the quantification of scientific knowledge and outputs, and collective entrepreneurship) that constitutively facilitate (or impede) partnership and in turn the successful transition to a hybrid triple helix model. Our study also highlights the contextual influence of differential schemata of interpretations on how to organize innovation by the three institutional actors in developing countries. Keywords: Discursive practices, innovation, Malaysia, organizing practices, triple helix Introduction In parallel with the emergence of the knowledge based economy, research into national systems of innovation has flourished over the past 50 years (e.g. [1-5]). Indeed, national and regional innovation scholars have dedicated considerable effort and attention to understanding how and when linkages between governments, economic actors, universities, and other institutions may lead to the identification of opportunities for innovation that deliver value to all stakeholders (e.g. [6-9]). As institutional collaboration becomes increasingly wide-spread, the capacities for such partnerships to stimulate innovation and generate inclusive economies has attracted a lot of research interests [8,10]. At the centre of these developments is the evolutionary triple helix model which advocates strategic interactions and collaboration between universities, industry and government [10-12]. Recurrent themes in recent theory have therefore focussed on the evolution of the triple helix model of innovation in developing countries, particularly those in East Asia, regarded as having developed institutional infrastructure and appropriate technologies to support innovation and production hubs [13-15]. This interest has also been extended to the exploration of the potential of triple helix in contribution to technology commercialization, new venture creation, and its consequences for policy initiatives in transition economies [16-19]. As this research suggest, triple helix plays a crucial role in integrating relevant institutions to boost national innovative activities and technology development [20]. Promising flexible and desirable outcomes from close interactions and optimal collaborations’ between universities, industry, and government, triple helix enable nations to anticipate how they could create wealth and build knowledge based society. Yet, as research indicates, there are no ready-made recipes to guide countries in transitioning to the triple helix model. In this regard, some researchers have criticized the triple helix model for paying scant attention to social context [21], and lacking ‘socio-cognitive’ micro-foundations to drive its empiri

FAQs

What main topic does the document address?

How organizing practices of industry, universities, and government facilitate or impede developing countries’ transition to a hybrid triple helix innovation model.

Which three domains of organizing practices are identified?

Advanced research capabilities and external partnerships; quantification of scientific knowledge and outputs; and collective entrepreneurship.

Why does the document argue the transition question matters theoretically and empirically?

It emphasizes bottom-up, agent- and practice-centered causation, explaining why countries can be successful or unsuccessful and how taken-for-granted practices enable or constrain knowledge-based action.

Sep 8, 2026

Upload by Theodore