DR.

AMIR IKRAM
www.amirikram12.blogspot.com (Academic resources)
www.researchgate.net/profile/Amir_Ikram (Research resources)
TODAY’S TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Triple Helix Framework;
An Ideal Governance Model for Emerging
Economies
 TODAY’S TOPIC:
GOVERNANCE & INNOVATIVE MODELS
 One major and influential organizing policy
framework is that of the Triple Helix (Etzkowitz
and Leydesdorff, 2000)
 It highlights the interplay of universities,
industries and government in stimulating
innovation, particularly in emerging
technologies.
 Innovation = Invention * Commercialization
 “one head and two wings”.
Government
Traditional Triple-Helix model:
• Top-down approach
Concern: lack of clear
connection between science
and technology.

University

Technology Industry
commercialization
TRIPLE HELIX; TRIPARTITE ENTITIES
 Government: Much technology transfer in
developing countries is likely to be government-
driven, as the market demand for innovations is small
and unspecified (Kroll and Liefner, 2008).

 University: Universities are not technology users,

nor product consumers but knowledge producers.
 Local universities are found to be the central
institution for several high-tech regions (Sternberg,
2010; Etzkowitz, 2004).

 Industry: With respect to new technologies, private

sector, especially SMEs, lack the requisite R&D
resources.
TRIPLE HELIX; MAJOR CONCERNS

 Vertical collaboration is to be boosted in the

form of government’s patronizing role,
horizontal collaboration needs to be enhanced
so as to shorten the time from lab to market.
 As noted by Cao et al. (2013), achieving
scientific breakthrough is not easy, and
commercializing scientific achievements is
even more difficult.
UI COLLABORATIONS: TECHNOLOGY
COMMERCIALIZATION

 Theoretically speaking, there are 3 ways to

commercialize technology, and viability of a
specific way varies from country to country.
 Patenting and licensing (Shane, 2002)
 Contract research (Gibbons et al., 1994; Kuo, 2001)
 Spin-off enterprise (Gu, 1999)
TRIPLE HELIX; IMPLICATIONS FOR
PAKISTAN
 Right now, the scenario in Pakistan is reminiscent of
the following ancient Chinese saying
“Heaven is high and the emperor is far away”.
 The gap between the research base and relatively
inferior industrial development competency also
becomes a barrier in the conversion of technology into
innovative products (Ikram et al, 2018).
 Universities are dedicated not only to knowledge generation
but they should also be persuaded to accelerate the technology
commercialization under political patronization.
 The establishment of science parks, high-tech parks,
and incubators bring together universities and
enterprises in a locally confined area (Walcott, 2003).
TRIPLE HELIX MODEL
 Evolutionary and contingent approach towards
Triple Helix Framework (Ikram et al., 2016, 2018a)
 In this perspective, we conducted 3 in-depth case studies
of Chinese traditional industrial cluster and high-tech
clusters.
 Figure. Triple Helix + 1 model (Ikram et al., 2016, 2018a)

Government

i.e.
Traditional Triple Helix
(University-Industry- Government)
+ Community

University
Industry