Capacidades do ecossistema regional de inovação: proposição de um framework com destaque para o papel da universidade

Abstract

The literature on innovation ecosystems has advanced through different perspectives and themes, such as the four dimensions of an ecosystem: network collaboration, interdependence, value co-creation, and innovation objectives. However, a subfield of innovation studies, innovation capabilities, has not yet been explored in depth within the scope of innovation ecosystems, especially regional ones. Therefore, this doctoral thesis aims to analyze how the actors of the quadruple helix, especially the university, assist in developing the innovation capabilities of a regional innovation ecosystem by considering the dimensions of the ecosystem. From a narrative literature review, four innovation capabilities were identified at the firm level that are compatible with the ecosystem level: collaboration capability, orchestration capability, networking capability, and R&D capability. A new definition was then proposed for these capabilities at the innovation ecosystem level. Through qualitative empirical research, characterized as a case study, the regional innovation ecosystem of the municipality of Rio Verde – GO (Brazil), which has agribusiness as its economic vocation, was analyzed. The analysis identified which capabilities have the greatest potential to develop the four dimensions of the regional innovation ecosystem. The results demonstrated that the networking capability impacts the network collaboration dimension, the orchestration capacity impacts the interdependence dimension, the collaboration capability impacts the value co-creation dimension, and the R&D capability impacts the innovation objectives dimension. These results were compiled into four theoretical propositions that form a theoretical model of innovation capabilities of the regional innovation ecosystem. Furthermore, the results helped to identify the elements of both the four dimensions of the regional innovation ecosystem and the four capabilities, which can help managers of the quadruple helix in building both capabilities and dimensions. Specifically, the elements of capabilities were grouped into skills, resources, and routines. Finally, the results showed that academia, represented by the University of Rio Verde (UniRV) in the ecosystem investigated, has greater prominence than the other actors of the quadruple helix in building the innovation capabilities of the regional innovation ecosystem.