EAGER: The Impact of Innovation Ecosystem Acceleration Training on Ecosystem Mapping, Stakeholder Engagement, and Regional Innovation Engine Choice

近年来建立了大量新的联邦项目，旨在利用区域创新“生态系统”的潜力，包括NSF TIP区域创新引擎（RIE）项目。与传统的研究资助相比，基于地点的干预措施不是针对特定的研究项目，而是旨在重塑给定地理位置内研究人员和其他利益相关者之间的互动。生态系统引擎干预的目的是“连接”或“重新连接”创新生态系统，以提高创新生产力和影响。创新生态系统的选择、设计要素和最终绩效被假设为以下因素的函数：(a)给定生态系统的特定初始条件，(b)生态系统中特定利益相关者的参与和承诺程度，以及(c)初始条件和利益相关者参与之间的潜在相互作用。为了对这些假设进行实证分析，本项目将利用创新生态系统培训计划进行研究。尽管学术界和政策学界对这种联邦干预的作用很感兴趣，但迄今为止，还没有对区域创新利益相关者进行创新生态系统分析、参与创新生态系统利益相关者或选择创新生态系统干预的过程进行系统的实证研究。因此，该项目有可能有助于我们对基于地方的创新政策干预设计的理论理解和政策分析。该研究将利用创新生态系统培训的机会，作为NSF区域创新引擎（“NSF引擎”）计划的一部分，为该计划的发展奖获得者提供培训。这项培训工作将使研究人员能够(a)收集有关NSF RIE获奖者所承担的“现状”生态系统状态的创新生态系统评估的系统和结构化数据，(b)记录不同潜在生态系统利益相关者（如大学、初创企业、地方政府、研究实验室、企业等）的参与（以及参与和承诺的水平）。以及(c)观察这些发展奖获得者最终作为其未来的NSF引擎资助申请提交的拟议干预措施。通过获取40多个区域1型获奖企业的实时分析数据和参与程度，可以对上述关键假设进行直接评估，并深入了解生态系统和利益相关者特征在塑造区域战略引擎选择和绩效方面的作用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Recent years have seen the establishment of a significant number of new Federal programs aimed at harnessing the potential of regional innovation “ecosystems,” including the NSF TIP Regional Innovation Engines (RIE) program. Relative to traditional research grants, place-based interventions are not directed toward a specific research project but rather aim to reshape interactions among researchers and other stakeholders within a given geographic location. The aim of an ecosystem Engine intervention is “wire” or “re-wire” an innovation ecosystem in order to enhance innovative productivity and impact. The choice, design elements, and ultimate performance of an innovation ecosystem is hypothesized to be a function of (a) the specific initial conditions of a given ecosystem, (b) the degree of engagement and commitment by specific stakeholders within that ecosystem and (c) potential interactions between initial conditions and stakeholder engagement. The research to be done in this project will take advantage of an innovation ecosystem training program in order to undertake an empirical analysis of these hypotheses. Despite significant academic and policy interest in the role of such federal interventions, there is to date no systematic empirical study of the process by which regional innovation stakeholders undertake innovation ecosystem analyses, engage innovation ecosystem stakeholders, or choose innovation ecosystem interventions. As such, the project has the potential to contribute to our theoretical understanding and policy analyses regarding the design of place-based innovation policy interventions. The research will take advantage of an opportunity to conduct training on innovation ecosystems as part of the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (“NSF Engines”) program for the program's Development Awardees. This training effort will provide the investigators the ability to (a) gather systematic and structured data about the innovation ecosystem assessments of the “as-is” ecosystem state undertaken by NSF RIE awardees, (b) document the participation (and level of engagement and commitment by different potential ecosystem stakeholders (e.g., universities, start-ups, local government, research laboratories, corporates, etc.), and (c) observe the proposed intervention that these Development Awardees ultimately submit as their future NSF Engines grant application. The ability to capture real-time data of the analysis and degree of engagement by more than 40 regional Type 1 awardees will allow for a direct evaluation of key hypotheses noted above, and provide insight into the role of ecosystem and stakeholder characteristics in shaping regional strategic Engine choice and performance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.