Title: The innovation ecosystem as booster for the innovative entrepreneurship in the smart specialisation strategy

Authors: Aldo Romano; Giuseppina Passiante; Pasquale Del Vecchio; Giustina Secundo

Addresses: University of Salento, Ed. IBIL, Campus Ecotekne, Via per Monteroni sn, 73100 Lecce, Italy ' Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Ed. IBIL, Campus Ecotekne, Via per Monteroni sn, 73100 Lecce, Italy ' Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Ed. IBIL, Campus Ecotekne, Via per Monteroni sn, 73100 Lecce, Italy ' Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, Ed. IBIL, Campus Ecotekne, Via per Monteroni sn, 73100 Lecce, Italy

Abstract: Framed in the scientific and institutional debate on the intelligent growth of regions, the paper discusses the sustainable innovation ecosystems as dynamic and multi-actors environments for the innovative entrepreneurship fertilisation. In coherence with the European agenda for the smart specialisation, the innovative entrepreneurship is presented as driver for the achievement of the regional intelligent growth and for the regions' successful positioning in the geography of the innovation. Based on a qualitative academic and policy-based literature review, the paper provides evidences on the meaning of the innovation ecosystems as environments in which the virtuous dynamics of knowledge creation, diffusion and absorption within a large community of stakeholders, sustain the emerging of innovative entrepreneurship. Focusing on the innovation and the entrepreneurship as core processes for the knowledge-based regional development, the study offers a set of implications for the agenda of scientists and policy makers, coherently with the European strategy for the smart specialisation.

Keywords: innovation ecosystems; innovative entrepreneurship; smart specialisation strategy; knowledge-based development; regional development; intelligent growth; knowledge creation; knowledge diffusion; knowledge absorption.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKBD.2014.065315

International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, 2014 Vol.5 No.3, pp.271 - 288

Received: 10 Jun 2014
Accepted: 13 Jun 2014
Published online: 30 Oct 2014 *

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