Building a model of a sustainable university innovation ecosystem: mechanisms of integration and commercialization

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.336530

Keywords:

innovation ecosystem, model architecture, university, sustainable development, startup, commercialization, structural integration, innovation infrastructure

Abstract

This study's object is the university innovation ecosystem as an organizational and structural entity aimed at supporting startups and innovation activities.

The task addressed concerns the fragmentation and lack of coordination among the innovation units of universities, which complicates the commercialization of scientific developments and reduces the effectiveness of innovation-driven growth.

A model of a sustainable university innovation ecosystem has been constructed, incorporating three cycles of interaction among infrastructural components. The proposed model enables a systematic organization of the processes of selection, support, and commercialization of startup projects through the involvement of both internal and external innovation flows. A key component of the model is legal support for startups at all stages, as well as a re-entry mechanism that allows projects to return to the system for refinement and increased market readiness.

The model aligns with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4, 9, and 17), which reinforces its strategic orientation. A three-cycle model of a sustainable university innovation ecosystem is proposed and tested, ensuring the integration of innovation units and promoting the effective commercialization of startups.

The uniqueness of the model is its structured architecture, cyclical logic, clear division of roles among innovation units, and the built-in legal mechanism that enables sustainable development and addresses the problem of disconnectedness. The model is applicable for implementation at universities that possess a basic infrastructure for innovation and seek to enhance the effectiveness of research commercialization

Author Biographies

Yevgen Sokol, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

Rector

Department of Industrial and Biomedical Electronics

Andrii Marchenko, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

Vice-Rector for Research

Department of Engines and Hybrid Power Plants

Ruslan Kryvobok, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Research Division

Department of Ceramics, Refractories, Glass and Enamels Technology

Hanna Koptieva, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"

Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor

Department of Management

Nataliia Shmatko, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute"

Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Head of Department

Department of Management

References

  1. Zakon Ukrainy «Pro naukovu i naukovo-tekhnichnu diyalnist» 26 lystopada 2015 r. No. 848-VIII. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/848-19#Text
  2. Bittencourt, B. A., Zen, A. C., Gazaro Dos Santos, D. A. (2020). Orchestrating university innovation ecosystem: the case of a Brazilian university. Revue Internationale d’Intelligence Économique. Available at: https://hal.science/hal-02865709
  3. Ozols, A., Sarkane, E. G., Avotins, V. (2024). Innovation ecosystem university model as a new generation 5.0 model. XXXV ISPIM Innovation Conference «Local Innovation Ecosystems for Global Impact». Tallinn. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381482698_Innovation_ecosystem_university_model_as_a_new_generation_50_model
  4. Pedchenko, N., Nestulya, Y., Kudatskyi, O., Pedchenko, M. (2023). Innovative ecosystem of recovery of the national economy of Ukraine: theoretical aspect. Scientific Bulletin of Poltava University of Economics and Trade. A Series of “Economic Sciences”, 4 (110), 56–60. https://doi.org/10.37734/2409-6873-2023-4-8
  5. Audretsch, D. B., Belitski, M. (2016). Entrepreneurial ecosystems in cities: establishing the framework conditions. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 42 (5), 1030–1051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-016-9473-8
  6. Podolchak, N., Karkovska, V., Levytska, Y. (2021). Ecosystems for startup development as a principle for implementing state innovation policy. Investytsiyi: Praktyka Ta Dosvid, 8, 82. https://doi.org/10.32702/2306-6814.2021.8.82
  7. Carayannis, E. G., Campbell, D. F. J. (2011). Mode 3 Knowledge Production in Quadruple Helix Innovation Systems. Mode 3 Knowledge Production in Quadruple Helix Innovation Systems, 1–63. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2062-0_1
  8. Piqué, J. M., Berbegal-Mirabent, J., Etzkowitz, H. (2020). The Role of Universities in Shaping the Evolution of Silicon Valley’s Ecosystem of Innovation. Triple Helix Journal, 1–45. https://doi.org/10.1163/21971927-bja10009
  9. Dedehayir, O., Mäkinen, S. J., Roland Ortt, J. (2018). Roles during innovation ecosystem genesis: A literature review. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 136, 18–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.11.028
  10. Sytnyk, N. I. (2017). The Ecosystem of Startups as a Component of the Innovation Ecosystem. Business Inform, 8, 89–94. Available at: http://jnas.nbuv.gov.ua/article/UJRN-0000798113
  11. Khaustov, M. M. (2023). Startapy: Stvorennia ta masshtabuvannia. Kharkiv: FOP Liburkina L. M., 224. Available at: https://ndc-ipr.org/media/publications/files/Mono_Startups_aWK106u.pdf
  12. Mironova, N., Koptieva, H., Liganenko, I., Sakun, A., Chernyak, D. (2022). Modeling the Selection of Innovative Strategy for Development of Industrial Enterprises. Wseas Transactions On Business And Economics, 19, 278–291. https://doi.org/10.37394/23207.2022.19.26
  13. Antoniuk, D., Antoniuk, K. (2023). Comparative analysis of startup ecosystems in the development models of Eastern European countries: experience for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Management and Entrepreneurship: Trends of Development, 2 (24), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.26661/2522-1566/2023-2/24-06
  14. Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2023. Available at: https://www.startupblink.com/reports?filter=all
  15. Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2022. Available at: https://www.startupblink.com/reports?filter=all
  16. Krasnokutska, N., Koptieva, H., Cirella, G. T., Kruhlova, O. (2024). Examining the Link Between Corporate Sustainability and Financial Performance: An Empirical Study with Implications for Post-Conflict Ukraine. Handbook on Post-War Reconstruction and Development Economics of Ukraine, 177–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48735-4_11
  17. Oh, D.-S., Phillips, F., Park, S., Lee, E. (2016). Innovation ecosystems: A critical examination. Technovation, 54, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2016.02.004
  18. Informatsiynyi portal Natsionalnoho universytetu «Lvivska politekhnika». Available at: https://tsus.lpnu.ua/
  19. Innovatsiyna ekosystema Sikorsky Challenge. Available at: https://kpi.ua/ecoino
  20. Beketov Startup School. Available at: https://bs.kname.edu.ua/
  21. Stanford Research Park. Available at: https://stanfordresearchpark.com/
  22. Aalto Startup Center is ranked among world's three best university business accelerators. Available at: https://www.enterespoo.fi/news/aalto-startup-center-ranked-among-worlds-three-best-university-business-accelerators
  23. SETsquared. Available at: https://www.setsquared.co.uk/
  24. Naukovo-doslidna chastyna NTU «KhPI». Available at: https://ndch.kpi.kharkov.ua/
  25. Inclusivity in Spark. Startap-tsentr «SPARK» NTU «KhPI». Available at: https://web.kpi.kharkov.ua/spark/en/inclusivity-in-spark/
  26. TOV “Naukovyi Park NTU «KhPI». Available at: https://ndch.kpi.kharkov.ua/naukovij-park/
  27. Stratehiya rozvytku Kharkivskoi oblasti na 2021 – 2027 roky. Available at: https://kharkivoda.gov.ua/oblasna-derzhavna-administratsiya/struktura-administratsiyi/strukturni-pidrozdili/717/102538
  28. Naukovtsi KhPI predstavyly masshtabnyi proiekt dlia vidbudovy Kharkova. Available at: https://www.kpi.kharkov.ua/ukr/2023/09/27/naukovtsi-hpi-prezentuvaly-masshtabnyj-proyekt-dlya-vidbudovy-harkova/
Building a model of a sustainable university innovation ecosystem: mechanisms of integration and commercialization

Downloads

Published

2025-08-27

How to Cite

Sokol, Y., Marchenko, A., Kryvobok, R., Koptieva, H., & Shmatko, N. (2025). Building a model of a sustainable university innovation ecosystem: mechanisms of integration and commercialization. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 4(13 (136), 6–16. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.336530

Issue

Section

Transfer of technologies: industry, energy, nanotechnology