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Regional Innovation Ecosystems: Contributions of Universities, Startups and Strategic Partnerships for Sustainable Development


Authors : Lucimara Aparecida da Silva Pereira; Ednaldo Ferreira e Silva; Elclesio Duarte de Oliveira; Felipe Gramonski dos Santos; José Carlos Beker; Adriana Dias Penha; Nathália Viana de Miranda; Rafael Soares Cardoso; Romara Holanda Lima; Ruany Idalice Martins Barros

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 3 - March


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/yn4enjv5

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yc4jbdek

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26mar2127

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.


Abstract : Regional innovation ecosystems are configured as strategic spaces for sustainable development, articulating universities, startups, and intersectoral partnerships around knowledge, entrepreneurship, and public policies. The objective of the study was to analyze the contributions of universities, startups and strategic partnerships to regional innovation ecosystems aimed at sustainable development. The research was conducted through an integrative literature review, prioritizing studies between 2020 and 2025, without disregarding classic authors. Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were consulted, using descriptors in Portuguese and English. The results show that university-company cooperation, institutional density and Technological Innovation Centers are structuring axes, but their effectiveness depends on the expansion of collaborative arrangements. It is concluded that such ecosystems present relevant contributions, although challenges persist in measuring social impacts, multisectoral governance and inclusion of local epistemologies, pointing to the need for studies on adaptive models of sustainable innovation.

Keywords : Governance; Innovation Ecosystems; Startups; Sustainability; Universities.

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Regional innovation ecosystems are configured as strategic spaces for sustainable development, articulating universities, startups, and intersectoral partnerships around knowledge, entrepreneurship, and public policies. The objective of the study was to analyze the contributions of universities, startups and strategic partnerships to regional innovation ecosystems aimed at sustainable development. The research was conducted through an integrative literature review, prioritizing studies between 2020 and 2025, without disregarding classic authors. Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were consulted, using descriptors in Portuguese and English. The results show that university-company cooperation, institutional density and Technological Innovation Centers are structuring axes, but their effectiveness depends on the expansion of collaborative arrangements. It is concluded that such ecosystems present relevant contributions, although challenges persist in measuring social impacts, multisectoral governance and inclusion of local epistemologies, pointing to the need for studies on adaptive models of sustainable innovation.

Keywords : Governance; Innovation Ecosystems; Startups; Sustainability; Universities.

Paper Submission Last Date
30 - June - 2026

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