Research and Innovation

Globally, universities are increasingly encouraged to fully embrace the societal impact agenda. Openness, engagement, and collaboration with stakeholders of the broad spectrum of the research and innovation ecosystem are no longer “nice-to-have” options but have become critical success factors. The original Etzkowitz triple helix model (referring to the set of... read moreinteractions between academia, business, and government) has been superseded by the quadruple and quintuple helix frameworks. The former stresses the role of community and civil society in innovation agendas. The latter emphasises the importance of the natural environment, and approaches environmental and ecological problems as opportunities – rather than challenges or threats – by identifying them as drivers for the production of knowledge and the development of future novelties.

This debate on the role of research and innovation cannot be disjointed from the advent of digital transformation and enablement in business, as well as from the quest of building sustainable solutions for more inclusive and democratic societies. Notions such as Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0, and their underpinnings, are central to this debate.

Industry 5.0 focuses on human-centricity, resilience, and sustainability, and hence, transcends the current understanding of technological progress and puts forward a new paradigm, departing from one that is inherently individualistic as a model of operation. The concept of Industry 5.0 is more multifaceted, with the intent to involve higher societal collaboration and intrinsic benefits for the wider society. The Japanese-originated notion of Society 5.0 is touted as a new guiding principle for innovation, and is defined as “a kind of bond between changes taking place in the technology, digital, and information flow areas and which focuses its activities on the concept of sustainable development and societies.” (Sulkowski et al. 2021).

This series will tackle the role of research and innovation, conducted within and beyond the university context, and will explore mechanisms, instruments, structures, and practices that can be implemented to foster societal impact. More specifically, it will be articulated around four key themes: Global context and perspectives; how to achieve impactful research; examples of impactful research; and measuring impactful research.