What ecosystem model to support the creation of social innovation technopoles?

Abstract

Many innovative initiatives driven by young entrepreneurs engaged in the creation of high societal impact start-ups emerge. Benefiting from the exponential development of new technologies for social and environmental purposes leads to a reinvention of existing practices and working methods on several levels such as governance, management and entrepreneurship. Indeed, improving the life quality of citizens through efficient services that revolve around innovative digital devices would not happen without the development of a favorable environment to social innovation that would promote the creation of innovative startups and group them thereafter in technological clusters.Providing innovative solutions to the fundamental needs of the populations is the common goal between the social innovation technopoles. They represent an engine of growth for their economies as their business performance is based on social, environmental and economic development. The establishment of such ambitious projects would not success without a proper support on several levels as a qualified human resources, the investment funds, powerful universities, consulting firms, training organizations, management and regulation as well as a legal framework. The orderly conduct of the rise of social innovation technopoles implies the emergence of a social entrepreneurship ecosystem that combines knowledge and skills in order to face the institutional, financial and technical obstacles they may experience.Success factors of the social innovation technopoles are based on the level of the stakeholders’ involvement on the ecosystem, the effectiveness of the implemented governance, the alignment with national vision and goals as well as the level of the international attractiveness of the technopoles. Taking into account that social innovation should be integrated at all social entrepreneurship ecosystem levels, how can we define the structure of the ecosystem and the possible relations between its stakeholders for the promotion, governance and support of the social innovation technopoles?