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

近年来，已经建立了大量旨在利用区域创新“生态系统”潜力的新的联邦计划，其中包括NSF TIP区域创新引擎(RIE)计划。相对于传统的研究资助，基于地点的干预措施并不针对特定的研究项目，而是旨在重塑特定地理位置内的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力。创新生态系统的选择、设计要素和最终绩效被假设为(A)特定生态系统的特定初始条件、(B)该生态系统内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的函数。本项目的研究将利用创新生态系统培训计划，对这些假设进行实证分析。尽管学术界和政策界对这种联邦干预措施的作用非常感兴趣，但迄今为止，还没有关于区域创新利益相关者进行创新生态系统分析、让创新生态系统利益相关者参与或选择创新生态系统干预措施的过程的系统实证研究。因此，该项目有可能有助于我们在设计基于地点的创新政策干预措施方面的理论理解和政策分析。这项研究将利用一个机会，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开展关于创新生态系统的培训。这项培训工作将使研究人员能够(A)收集关于NSF RIE获奖者对“现有”生态系统状态进行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攸关方(例如，大学、初创企业、地方政府、研究实验室、企业等)的参与(以及参与和承诺的程度)，以及(C)观察这些发展获奖者最终在其未来的NSF引擎拨款申请时提交的拟议干预措施。通过获取40多个区域类型1获奖者的分析和参与度的实时数据，可以直接评估上述关键假设，并洞察生态系统和利益相关者特征在塑造区域战略引擎选择和性能方面的作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.