Evolving Role of Science Parks in Smart and Sustainable Innovation Ecosystems

Abstract

Science and Technology Parks (STPs) operate in an environment increasingly shaped by digital transformation, sustainability challenges, and the growing complexity of innovation processes. As innovation becomes more networked and multi-actor in nature, understanding the evolving role of STPs within contemporary innovation ecosystems has become an important research issue. Despite a substantial body of literature on STPs, existing studies remain fragmented and predominantly focus on individual dimensions of their activity, such as infrastructure provision, university–industry collaboration, or entrepreneurship support. Longitudinal evidence explaining how STPs have evolved over time remains limited, particularly in relation to emerging theoretical perspectives such as the Quintuple Helix framework. To address this gap, the study employs a longitudinal qualitative comparative analysis of the IASP Global Survey Reports from 2015 and 2024. The analysis is based on thematic coding across multiple dimensions, including governance models, service portfolios, sustainability practices, urban integration, internationa Science and Technology Parks (STPs) operate in an environment increasingly shaped by digital transformation, sustainability challenges, and the growing complexity of innovation processes. As innovation becomes more networked and multi-actor in nature, understanding the evolving role of STPs within contemporary innovation ecosystems has become an important research issue. Despite a substantial body of literature on STPs, existing studies remain fragmented and predominantly focus on individual dimensions of their activity, such as infrastructure provision, university–industry collaboration, or entrepreneurship support. Longitudinal evidence explaining how STPs have evolved over time remains limited, particularly in relation to emerging theoretical perspectives such as the Quintuple Helix framework. To address this gap, the study employs a longitudinal qualitative comparative analysis of the IASP Global Survey Reports from 2015 and 2024. The analysis is based on thematic coding across multiple dimensions, including governance models, service portfolios, sustainability practices, urban integration, internationalisation, and performance measurement systems.