The Knowledge Triangle between Research, Education and Innovation – A Conceptual Discussion

Maximilian Unger () and Wolfgang Polt ()
Additional contact information
Maximilian Unger: Joanneum Research (Austria)
Wolfgang Polt: Joanneum Research (Austria)

Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), 2017, vol. 11, issue 2, 10-26

Abstract: This paper discusses the concept of the knowledge triangle (hereafter ‘KT’), as it has gained importance in recent years as a framework for innovation policies especially in OECD countries, especially Europe. The concept has gained popularity because it emphasizes an integrated (‘systemic’) approach on the interlinkages between research, education and innovation. In this article, we highlight the key features of this concept and try to contextualize it with other, at times overlapping, at times complementary, concepts, such as the ‘third mission’, ‘triple helix’ (or in an extended understanding, the ‘quadruple helix’), ‘entrepreneurial or civic university’ models and ‘smart specialization’. Against this background we seek to analyze the roles, rationalities and challenges of different actors that are involved in activities relating to each of the three spheres of the triangle. Actors are first and foremost higher education institutions (HEIs), public authorities, research and technology institutes and private sector companies.

Keywords: knowledge triangle; triple helix; entrepreneurial university; civic university; third mission; higher education institutions (HEIs); public research institutions (PRIs); private companies; research; education; innovation; STI policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 O21 O38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Downloads: (external link)
https://foresight-journal.hse.ru/data/2017/07/02/1171239631/2-Polt-10-26.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hig:fsight:v:11:y:2017:i:2:p:10-26

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015) from National Research University Higher School of Economics
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Nataliya Gavrilicheva () and Mikhail Salazkin ().