The article examines institutional constraints on the development of the knowledge economy at the regional level in the context of Ukraine’s wartime economy. Based on the institutional theory of D. North and O. Williamson, as well as the theory of regional innovation systems by B. Cooke, the types of institutional constraints are systematised by level (national, regional, micro) and type (formal, informal, organisational). A matrix of institutional constraints has been developed, which reflects the systemic, mutually reinforcing nature of the identified dysfunctions and allows identifying the «key» constraints with the greatest structural impact: weak protection of intellectual property rights, fragmentation of the national innovation system, and mistrust between actors in the innovation process. The specifics of institutional deformations caused by full-scale armed aggression have been revealed: destruction of scientific and educational infrastructure, outflow of human capital, breakdown of network links between actors of regional innovation systems, redistribution of public funding in favour of defence spending. The asymmetric nature of the regional consequences of military aggression is substantiated: frontline regions are characterised by the destruction of innovation infrastructure, while regions receiving displaced persons have received additional resources for knowledge development. The conception of «institutional resilience» of regional knowledge systems is proposed, covering three dimensions: absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacity. The need for a «recovery with trajectory change» approach instead of a simple return to the pre-war status quo is argued. Five priorities for institutional reform to restore and develop the regional knowledge economy are substantiated: reforming the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property; decentralising the management of the science and innovation system; programmes to attract the diaspora and return scientific personnel; new formats for interregional and cross-border scientific and educational cooperation; and the formation of a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Here, we explore the determinants and territorial heterogeneity of regional innovation development across Russian regions, employing the Russian Regional Innovation Index (RRII) and indicators of Gross Regional Product (GRP). The empirical database comprises 1363 small innovation enterprises (SMEs) spun-off from budgetary and research organizations and universities, specifically 34 flagship universities, 28 innovation clusters, 156 technology parks, and 15 science and technology innovation centers, along with indicators of the infrastructure–institutional environment, innovation–investment activity, scientific–educational potential, and human–social characteristics. Regression analysis enabled the identification of major factor groups that strongly effect regional innovation development, with infrastructure–institutional and innovation–investment indicators being the most significant. Cluster analysis of RRII and GRP delineated three groups of regions, (1) leaders with high innovation activity and substantial economic potential, (2) intermediate regions with moderate innovation activity and varying economic capacity, and (3) regions with high economic capacity but low innovation activity, exhibiting structural disparities between the economy and innovation. By combining regression and cluster analyses, we provide a comprehensive assessment of regional innovation ecosystems, reveal spatial imbalances, and identify priority areas for regional innovation policy. The study contributes to the theory of regional innovation systems and offers practical recommendations for strategic planning and optimizing the allocation of resources among key elements of innovation infrastructure.

ABSTRACT Public research institutes (PRIs) and higher education institutions (HEIs) are important actors in knowledge production in regional innovation systems (RIS), influencing network dynamics and inventions. While their impact on RIS has been widely studied, less attention has been paid to how different types of research affect RIS depending on regional technological characteristics. We therefore analyse the effects of German PRIs and HEIs on patent collaborations, centrality, invention quality and regional technological paths using a spatial vector autoregressive (spVAR) model. Our results show that basic research generates substantial positive regional effects in the long run and is particularly conducive to introducing new technologies. Moreover, mechanical engineering, alongside research and development (R&D)-intensive fields, strongly boosts the effects of PRIs and HEIs.

Regional innovation ecosystems play a crucial role in advancing national innovation capacity. However, the question of how to foster sustained collaborative innovation among diverse actors within these ecosystems under digitalization remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the dynamic mechanisms and key factors influencing synergistic innovation behavior among multiple stakeholders in digitally enabled regional innovation ecosystems. Drawing on evolutionary game theory, we develop a tripartite game model involving core enterprises, complementary parties, and the government. A simulation analysis is conducted using the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park as a case context to examine the evolutionary trajectories of cooperation strategies. The results indicate that: (1) increasing the intensity of digital investment by innovation agents significantly enhances the stability and sustainability of the regional innovation ecosystem; (2) core enterprises can stimulate cooperative innovation by providing incentives to complementary parties in the digital context; (3) innovation actors exhibit substantial positive spillover effects, facilitating the circulation and integration of digital resources and data elements; and (4) government subsidies and penalties positively influence system stability and accelerate the convergence of evolutionary dynamics. By integrating a digital perspective into the analysis of regional innovation ecosystems, this study contributes to theoretical discussions on innovation cooperation and provides practical insights for local governments seeking to improve synergistic mechanisms within digital innovation ecosystems. The findings also offer strategic references for promoting the sustainable development of regional innovation systems under digitalization.

ABSTRACT Innovation and research and development (R&D) investments are central to regional economic growth. Yet, in the UK, these activities are heavily concentrated in the Greater South East, which receives the majority of public and private R&D spending. This imbalance has contributed to the UK’s status as one of the most regionally unequal developed economies. Redistribution of public R&D has been proposed as a key solution, but it also raises questions about whether shifting investment can reduce disparities without undermining national performance. Existing empirical studies offer limited insight into how spatial redistribution affects regional inequalities, particularly when accounting for spillovers and absorptive capacity. This paper fills the gap by using the multi-regional input–output (MRIO) model SEIM-UK (socio-economic impact model for the UK). The findings reveal that the Greater South East (GSE) experiences disproportionately high benefits due to strong demand multipliers and spillover effects, rather than through productivity gains. Furthermore, absorptive capacity plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between R&D spending and regional outcomes, disproportionately limiting growth in lagging regions. The analysis suggests that an equitable redistribution of R&D investments could promote balanced regional growth without hindering the performance of high-achieving areas like London and the South East. Therefore, enhancing regional innovation systems and addressing constraints in absorptive capacity are essential policy measures to achieve this goal.

Abstract Since a few years, the international economic system has been experiencing the risk of growing fragmentation and uncertainty. However, research on Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) has yet to comprehensively engage with this phenomenon, despite its (spatial) significance. The paper contributes to addressing this gap, in particular by exploring the potential implications for RIS arising from the decline, disruption or reconfiguration of international knowledge flows associated with economic de‐globalisation. The study seeks to define a theoretical approach grounded in economic geography to assess this trend. It applies such perspective to three types of RIS (metropolitan, old industrial and peripheral) across five analytical dimensions that capture the structural and relational factors shaping RIS exposure and resilience to de‐globalisation. The discussion highlights that, in the face of knowledge and technological disruptions or shifts arising from international instability, metropolitan RIS may leverage their diversified knowledge bases, dense institutional frameworks and strong global connectivity to successfully reconfigure external linkages; old industrial RIS may follow mixed trajectories, with the risk of deepening economic and policy lock‐ins; while peripheral RIS, due to their reliance on external knowledge sources and limited endogenous innovation capacity, emerge as the most vulnerable.

This paper explores how regional innovation ecosystems support the growth of technology startups, using Hangzhou's "Six Little Dragons" as a case study. Drawing on innovation ecosystem theory, regional innovation systems, and new trade theory, the study analyzes how talent, capital, and industrial coordination jointly shape firm development. The paper identifies three key mechanisms: sustained talent attraction and knowledge spillovers anchored in universities and research institutions; a full-lifecycle financial support system characterized by a "patient government" and patient capital that mitigates early-stage market failures; and industrial chain coordination combined with scenario-based innovation that accelerates technology validation and market entry. The findings suggest that the success of Hangzhou's technology firms stems from systematic ecosystem interactions rather than isolated firm-level advantages, offering policy-relevant insights for enhancing regional innovation capacity in other cities.

In this article, the author attempts to assess selected components of social capital in the context of stimulating social innovation in peripheral areas. The Middle Pomerania region serves as an empirical example. It is the region that is specific in terms of history and structure, which, despite the lack of formal delimitation in the administrative division, exhibits relative economic and social cohesion, while at the same time displaying high intra-regional diversity. The main objective of the article is to diagnose and assess the innovation potential of local communities operating within social organisations, which are main players in the creation of a regional innovation system. The results of the empirical research indicate that the peripherality of the region, although considered rather a dissimulating feature, can in itself be a catalyst for local activity. The inhabitants declare that the Middle Pomerania region, although peripheral, has sufficient social capital resources to create changes and social innovation. In her conclusions, the author suggests constant monitoring of the social capital in peripheral regions and encourages the building of relationships in the region through, among other things, supporting the activities of social organisations. These organisations can and should become stimulators of development for marginalised regions.

This study focuses on the core issue of balanced regional economic development driven by the integration of data factors and artificial intelligence (DIAI). Aiming at the deficiency of existing studies that ignore the synergistic effects of the two elements, the study uses panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2012 to 2023 to construct fixed effects, mediation effect and threshold regression models. Combined with robustness tests, it systematically examines the action mechanism, boundary conditions and regional heterogeneity of DIAI. It is empirically verified that DIAI significantly narrows regional development gaps and acts as a novel synergistic driving force for balanced regional economic development. DIAI exerts its driving effect through three mechanisms, namely innovation-driven development, the upgrading of industrial structure and the optimization of resource allocation, with the contribution rates of the three mechanisms being 42.1%, 28.6% and 29.3% respectively. A single threshold effect of 12.7% is identified in the level of financial development; the marginal contribution of DIAI increases by 3.9 times after the financial development level crosses this threshold. In addition, the effect of DIAI is more pronounced in western China and national digital economy pilot zones. Theoretically, this study expands the theory of regional innovation systems. Practically, it provides a basis for local governments to formulate differentiated DIAI strategies. The study also points out its limitation in the insufficient exploration of the mechanism of microeconomic agents and clarifies the future research direction of further in-depth investigation from the micro perspective.

The article examines the conceptual foundations of adaptive innovation management based on knowledge spillover effects in regional clusters. Traditional approaches to innovation management focus on internal research and development of individual firms, ignoring the fact that a significant part of innovation value is created through inter-organizational interaction and knowledge exchange mechanisms. Recent empirical evidence demonstrates a fundamental shift in understanding innovation processes: approximately 85% of inventors work in firms with establishments in multiple technology clusters, suggesting that organizational proximity may be more important than geographical proximity for knowledge transfer. The research shows that the greatest difference between social and private returns to innovation is observed not in the largest, but in the best-connected clusters. This finding has critical implications for cluster policy: instead of concentrating resources on building giant clusters, a more effective strategy may be to maximize connectivity between existing regional clusters through systematic knowledge exchange mechanisms, labor mobility programs, and joint research projects. For example, Atlanta ranks first in terms of the social-private returns gap due to high inter-cluster connectivity, despite being smaller than Silicon Valley in absolute size. A three-level adaptive management model is proposed, which includes the micro-level (individual cluster participants), meso-level (cluster organization as coordination center), and macro-level (regional innovation system). The model integrates five interconnected components: a system for measuring spillover effects, a knowledge exchange platform combining digital and physical infrastructure, mechanisms for stimulating cooperation that balance incentives with intellectual property protection, competence development programs to enhance absorptive capacity, and an adaptive management loop based on the Monitor-Analyze-Decide-Act-Learn (MADAL) cycle with quarterly iterations. The research results have practical significance for developing cluster policy, regional innovation strategies, and managing innovation ecosystems. Keywords: knowledge spillovers, innovation cluster, adaptive management, inter-organizational collaboration, regional innovation system.

The persistent trade surplus in Sino–Brazilian commercial relations highlights the strategic importance of accessing China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA), as Guangdong Province alone accounts for approximately 28% of bilateral trade. Maintaining this favourable balance requires a deeper understanding of the GBA’s economic rationale within the frameworks of regional innovation systems and global production networks, particularly in the context of South–South cooperation. This study employs documentary analysis of existing academic literature, complemented by an examination of spatial infrastructural organisation, policy innovations, and national development plans, alongside the authors’ professional experience. The research objective is to identify enabling conditions for Brazil’s effective commercial engagement with the GBA, considering its role as a dynamic hub for technological development and international trade. Findings aim to inform strategies that strengthen Brazil’s integration into emerging Asian markets while fostering mutually beneficial economic partnerships.

Abstract Among the various institutional layers that shape the structure and function of regional innovation systems (RIS), the network of research universities (RU) stands out as a principal component, constituting the hubs and channels that facilitate knowledge creation, technology transfer, and skilled workforce development. Here, we analyze the contributions to regional competitiveness associated with (a) local versus cross-border collaboration and (b) prestige signaling associated with a region’s flagship institutions of higher education. By applying hierarchical regression models with institutional fixed effects to research profiles constructed from ~800,000 publications affiliated with 28 RU in California (CA) and Texas (TX), in particular including all University of California and University of Texas campuses, we find that research co-produced with a premier regional university that also extends across international borders features a 21% (CA) and 25% (TX) citation premium. We also show that the citation premiums attributable to institutional prestige and international collaboration have both increased over time relative to other factors. These findings underscore the importance of balancing investment in regional integration with cross-border engagement, as prestige spillovers can enhance regional competitiveness by attracting elite scientists, fostering impactful collaborations, and integrating distant regions within global research networks. Managing RIS thus calls for strategic investments in regional collaboration networks and flagship institutions to balance local benefits while leveraging the capacity to attract external research expertise and capabilities. Within this context, our study helps explain the growing shift towards multi-institutional consortia and RU satellite campuses as mechanisms for harnessing institutional and cross-regional complementarities at scale.

The article compares the digital transformation strategies and regional development trajectories of North Carolina and the FrankfurtRheinMain metropolitan region, examining how structural, demographic and economic conditions shape their capacity to deploy smart services and strengthen competitiveness. Objectives are to analyze similarities and differences in digital infrastructure, skills, governance and inclusion, and to assess how regional characteristics influence the design and impact of digital initiatives. This is important because both regions are economically strong hubs that seek to leverage digitalization for long-term growth, social inclusion and quality of life. The study builds on concepts of smart cities, digital equity, regional innovation systems and metropolitan governance, and connects US debates on closing the digital divide with European discussions on smart city development and digital regional policy. It links empirical data and policy documents from North Carolina’s digital equity and broadband programs with strategic initiatives and statistical profiles of FrankfurtRheinMain as a German metropolitan region. Methodologically, the paper applies a comparative case study approach, combining document analysis of policy strategies, investment programs and regional statistics with a structured cross-case comparison along the dimensions of infrastructure, skills, social inclusion and economic orientation. Results show that North Carolina prioritizes massive investment in basic broadband infrastructure and targeted measures against the digital divide, while FrankfurtRheinMain builds on a more advanced infrastructure to focus on smart city projects, 5G rollout and digitalization of finance and urban services. Both regions strongly emphasize digital skills, but differ in their instruments for social inclusion, with North Carolina relying more on affordability programs and device access, and FrankfurtRheinMain concentrating on groups with specific participation barriers. The findings imply that academics and policymakers should treat digital transformation as context-dependent, requiring place-sensitive mixes of infrastructure investment, skills development and governance coordination. For practitioners, the study highlights transferable practices in smart city development from FrankfurtRheinMain and in digital equity and inclusion from North Carolina. The paper’s value lies in offering a structured, transatlantic comparison that integrates economic, infrastructural and social dimensions of digital transformation at regional scale. It contributes an original dual focus on smart services and digital equity, demonstrating how two advanced regions can follow divergent yet complementary paths toward similar strategic goals, and outlining concrete areas where mutual policy learning is feasible.

Identifying and analyzing the cooperative effectiveness of regional innovation systems is an important prerequisite for reflecting the operational efficiency and effect of regional innovation systems. The regional innovation system is a complex system network composed of many subsystems. Therefore, it is crucial to propose an effective measurement and evaluation method to reflect the essential characteristics of collaboration. Based on the principle of order parameters in synergitics and the idea of cloud model, this paper proposes the mechanism of order parameters membership cloud in the operation of regional innovation system, then proposes the evaluation process of cooperative order degree of regional innovation system based on order parameters membership cloud, and gives the identification method of order parameters in the cooperative order degree process of regional innovation system, and then builds the order parameters member cloud model. According to the possible results, the evaluation criteria and management and control strategies of cooperative order degree are constructed. Finally, taking the innovation system of 30 administrative regions in China as an example, the measurement and evaluation method proposed in this paper is applied to verify the scientific rationality of the model and method proposed in this paper. The method and control strategy proposed in this paper can provide method support for decision-making of relevant departments and enterprises of regional innovation management.

Global agriculture faces the dual challenges of resource constraints and international competition, making the transition from quantitative expansion to quality upgrading a central imperative. While trade competitiveness is widely considered a key driver of agricultural transformation, the pathways and mechanisms through which it influences agricultural quality upgrading are far more complex than conventionally understood. Against this backdrop, this study constructs a moderated nonlinear mediation theoretical framework. Empirical analysis based on China’s provincial panel data (2014–2023) yields three key findings: (1) Trade competitiveness exerts a significant inverted U-shaped effect on high-quality agricultural development, revealing a dynamic trade-off between “competitive escape” and “competitive suppression.” (2) Optimization of the Agricultural Sectoral Structure serves as a mediating pathway, and this mediation itself exhibits nonlinear characteristics, further underscoring the nuanced nature of “structural dividends.” (3) Regional innovation capacity significantly moderates the latter stage of this pathway (from Optimization of the Agricultural Sectoral Structure to quality development). Viewed through the lens of appropriate technology theory, a robust regional innovation system can deploy context-appropriate technologies and knowledge, thereby mitigating the potential adverse impacts of agricultural structural transformation on quality-related outcomes. This research thus provides a new strategic framework for achieving sustainable, high-quality agricultural growth.

Substantial policy efforts to develop regional innovation systems (RIS) highlight the importance of understanding the institutional factors that promote integration and synergy at the regional scale. To this end, we analyzed historical patterns of research co-production within and across California (CA) and Texas (TX), two US regions that account for >5% of global research publication. This predominance is largely attributed to the University of California and the University of Texas, two multi-campus university systems (MUS) that feature distinct configurations of institutional research specialization. We exploit these differences to analyze four institutional assortativity channels that foster RIS synergy: institutional proximity, prestige, homophily, and specialization. Descriptive analysis reveals that institutional co-publication rates differ within and across RIS and are influenced by external socio-economic shocks, such as the 2007-08 financial crisis, which intensified institutional clustering within these research university ecosystems. We also develop institutional specialization profiles for exploring the structure and role of institutional alignment within RIS. Results indicate that regional integration is mediated by the alignment of institutional specialization and moderated by institutional homophily. These findings underscore the critical role of the MUS backbone that supports RIS integration and generates resiliency to socio-economic shocks. Moreover, MUS provide institutional redundancy and variation that generates a broad combinatorial space fostering multi-university research synergies. All together our framework can help address the innovator’s dilemma of whether to exploit institution-specific capabilities or to strategically identify and invest in novel multi-institutional synergies that leverage the complex configurational space of institutional specializations that uniquely characterize each RIS.

The study is devoted to determining the theoretical and methodological foundations of strategic management of innovative development of enterprises in the region in conditions of instability. It is substantiated that the permanence of innovations and continuous strategic management are key factors in the formation of stability and long-term competitive advantages of enterprises. The role of innovation strategy as a component of corporate, business and functional strategies is revealed, and its differences from R&D strategy are outlined. Modern models of the innovation process are systematised – from linear to network and knowledge-based models – and their evolution and influence on the choice of innovation strategies are shown. A map for choosing an innovation strategy depending on the state of the enterprise according to the criteria of economic added value and risk resistance is proposed. It is shown that investment strategy is a tool for the practical implementation of innovative solutions, and diversification strategies contribute to reducing the risks of innovative activity. The feasibility of creating an integrated innovation complex as a mechanism for managing the innovative transformation of the region, combining higher education institutions, technology parks, venture funds, enterprises and state institutions, is substantiated. Based on an analysis of the innovative potential of the Kyiv region, the existence of prerequisites for the transition to an innovative development model has been proven, provided that network approaches are implemented, institutional interaction is strengthened, and nonlinear models of the innovation process are used. The work uses elements of portfolio analysis, strategic and institutional approaches, which ensured a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of enterprises and the regional innovation system and identified key constraints to its development. The results of the study can be used to develop regional innovation policy, improve the system of strategic enterprise management, form programmes for the innovative transformation of industrial regions, and modernise interaction between business, science, and government on the basis of sustainable and inclusive growth. Keywords: strategic innovation management, innovative enterprise strategy, economic risk resistance of enterprises, network models of innovative development, integrated innovation complex

The growing importance of cross-border scientific collaboration reflects its role in strengthening regional innovation systems and supporting sustainable socio-economic development. This study examines cross-border scientific research collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, with particular attention to how institutional differences impact the sustainable development of such cooperation. Drawing on the analytical framework of the cross-border regional innovation systems (CBRIS), this study employs qualitative research methods—including fieldwork interviews, focus groups, and thematic workshops—to systematically examine the key challenges and emerging opportunities arising from institutional differences between the two regions. The findings show that there are significant institutional differences in four areas, including research integrity systems, scientific resource sharing mechanisms, project management processes, and talent development frameworks. These distinctions not only undermine the effectiveness of cross-border collaboration, but they also offer opportunities for institutional coordination and policy innovation meant to promote a more inclusive and sustainable regional research cooperation system. By analysing the experiences of researchers and research administrators, the study emphasises the crucial importance of institutional coordination in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the CBRIS. The results offer data-based evidence and policy insights that can inform the development of policy innovations to strengthen cross-border scientific collaboration and promote the sustainable evolution of the CBRIS.

ABSTRACT This study examines the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of technology‐driven enterprises in Adelaide, South Australia, from 2019 to 2022, introducing a novel automated foresight methodology that combines natural language processing, machine learning, and geographic visualization. Using web scraping techniques and social media analytics, we analyzed 4001 posts from 856 founder and employee profiles, 20,000 tweets, and 10,000 news articles to map the emergence of technology hotspots across Greater Adelaide. The findings reveal significant clustering patterns in five key technological categories: machine learning and big data analytics, digital health and medical technology, agricultural technology, advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy. Our analysis identifies four primary innovation districts as emerging technology hotspots. The study demonstrates a 40% increase in technology‐related activities between 2019 and 2022, with renewable energy showing the most dramatic growth trajectory. The methodology successfully addresses the critical gap between static policy planning and rapidly evolving startup landscapes, providing policymakers and innovation stakeholders with dynamic, fine‐grained insights into emerging technology clusters and future innovation trajectories. These findings contribute to understanding regional innovation systems and provide a scalable framework for technology foresight in regional innovation ecosystems.

ABSTRACT It remains unclear how transformative innovation policies can be implemented across various regional contexts. Through policy review, interviews and focus group interviews with key actors, this paper investigates industrial regions’ design and implementation of transformative innovation policies in three Nordic countries. We find that the characteristics of the regional innovation system, unique to industrial regions, along with their national context, impact the governance tasks required for designing and implementing transformative innovation policy in the three regions. The ambition to turn global challenges into regional opportunities is a core incentive for mobilising stakeholders, resolving conflicts, and creating legitimacy.