Orchestrating University Innovation Ecosystem: The case of a Brazilian University

Résumé 0

The universities have become more entrepreneurial and constitute innovation ecosystems, responsible for promoting innovation and generating development for people, busines and regions. Although the theme of innovation ecosystems has been expanding in the literature, there is a gap about the management/orchestration of those environments. Therefore, this paper aims at understanding which are the roles and activities of the orchestrator of the university innovation ecosystem. For that, we conducted an action research in the innovation ecosystem of UFRGS, orchestrated by its Science and Technological Park, Zenit. We identified key success factors for that process and we understood that the orchestrator of the university has as roles and activities: architect (map and compose the network, link complementary actors, construct a collective identity), knowledge broker (managing knowledge mobility, knowledge activation, facilitate transactions) and market translator (articulate demands, recognize and commercialize innovation, manage innovation appropriability). From that, we proposed some insigths to facilitate actions for the orchestration of the innovation ecosystem in the university.