The Triple Helix in Practice: Empirical Insights from Institutions of National Importance in India

Abstract

Triple Helix (TH) model, or the idea of interconnectedness of the functions of the university, industry, and government, is the prevailing theoretical concept in the development of powerful knowledge-based innovation ecosystems. As much as this model is well confirmed in developed economies, its empirical confirmation and its real implementation is least explored in the premier non-western institutional environments. It is a research that fills a serious gap in innovation literature because it rigorously assesses the practical efficacy and perceived subtleties of the TH configuration in particular in Institutions of National Importance (INIs) in India, institutions that are critical to the achievement of the technological and economic goals of the country. With the help of the powerful mixed-method design, including extensive surveys and semi-structured interviews in the effectively organized form, the information was collected systematically in a stratified cohort of 165 INIs. The core analysis examines three systemic dimensions, which are the depth of inter-institutional cognitive awareness, the level of real stakeholder participatory engagement, as well as the impact of both systemic impediments and systemic policy catalysts on effective TH integration. The paper presents viable empirical data on the issues of operations and strategic opportunities of developing a unified TH setting in India. The results are useful in designing specific evidence-based policy models that maximize the impact of INI on the national innovation capability and long-term economic development.