Panel Session 2：Changing Role of Government in Innovation Systems Title and Author page Hidden activity of university spin-offs in Triple Helix networks: The role of mediator 1 Marina van Geenhuizen, Qing Ye, Mozhdeh Taheri Study on the G-P-R Triple Helix model and accumulation of knowledge capital based on organization learning 20 Wu Cisheng, Peng Yanfang, Zhao Jing The Economical Theory of Relativity (or Triple Helix, Evolutionary Economics, Innovation Snail and other cyclic processes of Economy) 33 Badulin Nikolay A Comparative Study about Innovation Systems of China and Brazil in the Area of Alternative Liquid Fuels 48 Chen Chen, José Vitor Bomtempo Private-Owned Venture Capital‘s Investment on University Spin-Offs: A Case Study of Tsinghua University Based on Triple Helix Model 68 GAO Yuchen, WANG Jingyi,HU Yimei Triple Helix Institutions to Accelerate the Regional Socio Economic Development The Case of Tecnnova and Ruta N on Medellín- Colombia 89 Juan José González Pérez, Juan Manuel Salazar Venture Capital as the important element of an effective economic policy of the State and the specificity of the Russia 105 Litsareva Elena Institutional Environment, Tax Incentives and Enterprise Innovation Investment 117 LIU Fang The Interplay between Research, Industry and Government in New Energy Vehicle Standardization – A snapshot on factors shaping technology innovation 137 Martina Gerst, Gao Xudong Are government incentives driving and intensifying firm´s innovation capabilities in Mexico? Nunez-Merchand, A, Pérez-Hernández P., Sanchez Aguilar Adolfo, Calderon-Martinez Ma. 158 Guadalupe The Role of Universities in Knowledge-based Industrialization in Kenya: A Study of University-Industry-Government Linkages in Manufacturing 174 Onesmus Muroki Initiating the Upward Spiral of Triple Helix through University-Industry Connections: A Case Study on Suzhou Industrial Park 190 Yanli Zhang, Yuhua Cao, Jielin Dong The Impact of the Triple Helix System of University-Industry-Government Collaboration on Regional Entrepreneurship in China 221 Meifang Li,Lerong He 1 The Innovation on Development Path of the Ecological Industry Fund Based on the Triple Helix Theory in China 249 Yang Xiaoli Triple Helix in Sectoral Systems of Innovation: the evolution of iversity-industry-government relations and institutions in the life sciences sector in China 261 Qu Tianpeng Content Analysis on Policy Instruments of Chinese Strategic-Emerging-Industry 280 YAO Wei, CHEN Jin, SUN Yueqi 2 THC2015_NO.083 Triple Helix Association 2015 Conference Tsinghua University, Beijing, China 21-23 August Hidden activity of university spin-offs in Triple Helix networks: The role of mediator Prof. Dr. Marina van Geenhuizen Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, Jaffalaan 5 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands. Email: [email protected] Qing Ye MSc China Europe International Business School, Shanghai, China. Email: [email protected] Mozhdeh Taheri PhD Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology Email: [email protected] MARINA VAN GEENHUIZEN is Professor of Innovation and Innovation Policy at Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. She received her PhD from Erasmus University (applied economics). Her main research interests are in theory and practice of the knowledge economy, particularly knowledge transfer (commercialization) and entrepreneurship at universities. With regard to technology and responsible innovation, her interests are in life sciences and health care and in sustainable energy and sustainable transport solutions. She has published over 90 reviewed articles in English journals and is principal editor of seven edited volumes in English on regional innovation, creative cities, sustainable transport and environmental protection. QING YE is a research assistant at China Europe International Business School, Shanghai, China. He was educated as an electronic engineer and holds a Bachelor in Engineering on Microelectronics from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. His interests, however, changed over time towards more social and commercial thinking, leading to a MSc in Management of Technology at Delft University of Technology (Cum Laude) in Delft, The Netherlands. His research interests are in organizational learning, innovation management, responsible innovation, sustainability issues, and knowledge valorization. MOZHDEH TAHERI received her PhD in Economics of Innovation from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), The Netherlands, in December 2013. She holds a MSc in Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and Management from TU Delft and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Tehran Polytechnic. Her main research interests cover knowledge commercialization and entrepreneurship at universities, academic spin-off firms, start-ups growth, (social) networks, and internationalization. Her research resulted in more than 20 edited book chapters, papers in conference proceedings and journal articles. Currently, she is a researcher at the Department of Values, Economics of Innovation, Faculty Technology, Policy and Management at TU Delft. Keywords: spin-off firms, networks, Triple/Quadruple Helix, diversity, mediator role 1 1. Introduction Universities as knowledge creators in global worlds attract a lot of attention of researchers and policy-makers today (e.g., Etzkowitz, 2008; van Looy et al., 2011; Ranga and Etzkowitz, 2013; Audretsch et al., 2014). From a European perspective, this is mainly because Europe‘s future is seen as dependent upon opportunities of science, engineering and technology, both in solving the grand societal challenges and increasing competitiveness of the European economy (EC, 2014). University spin-offs (USOs) are an important part of this attention when it comes to a better use of opportunities of science, engineering and technology. Though intermediation is certainly not the primary aim of these firms, they may take on such a role in potentially and actually connecting different Triple/Quadruple Helix partners and improving knowledge flows, but this role has remained largely unknown. University transfer offices and incubators have received a lot of attention in this respect, but spin-off firms have not. Today, it is not a matter of establishing commercialization and collaboration between academia and business, but of making the actions more effective and productive (Geuna and Muscio, 2009; Bruneel et al., 2010; van Geenhuizen, 2013). In many knowledge economies in the world, the Triple or Quadruple Helix do not work satisfactory due to the influence of various barriers between the actors involved. Barriers preventing collaboration in this context may be related to task conflicts and relationship conflicts (Ranga and Etzkowitz, 2013). Common task conflicts originate from the different time horizon used at university compared to business world and this is connected with different aims in knowledge production. Universities use time horizons of four years (PhD research) and aim at a scientific output and recognition among peers in the first place, while the business world avoids starting research or ends it if no commercial opportunities are perceived, and also employs different attitudes on disclosure of research results (IP) (Bruneel et al., 2010). Relationship conflicts are stronger connected to personal affinity and preferences. Such conflicts may block a fruitful collaboration if university staff has weak affinity with applied research and the market and if perspectives for market introduction are modest (van Geenhuizen, 2013). This study has a focus on spin-off firms arisen from universities. These firms (USOs) are conceptualized as a specific class of independently established high-technology start-ups that bring university knowledge to market and that are founded by university graduates or staff members (Pirnay et al., 2003). University spin-offs are relatively poor in resources, in particular, they lack skills beyond their technology field due to their young age and one-sided education, in particular, they face a lack of management and marketing skills, and skills to access investment capital and market channels (Vohora et al., 2004; van Geenhuizen and Soetanto, 2009; Soetanto and van Geenhuizen, 2014). However, spin-offs attempt to improve this situation, thereby actively connecting themselves with other Triple/Quadruple Helix actors, like large companies, small companies, public authorities, financial investors, etc. By their very existence university spin-off firms bring inventions and other solutions 2 created at university to market, which could be seen as a passive intermediary role. However, in their entrepreneurial networks, these firms may actively act as mediator and connect themselves with other Triple Helix/Quadruple actors, eventually ones that did not know each other before, and affect not only the knowledge but also the networks and actors involved. Accordingly, Doganova (2013) distinguishes between the role of spin-off firms in transformation and transfer of knowledge between different worlds, academic and business, and the role as mediator for a variety of actors, like researchers, users, customers, investors, etc., thereby also affecting, and sometimes even transforming, the networks and network participants involved. The latter tends to be associated with exploration activity, uncertainty and collective action, hence the collaboration of diverse actors is seen as important. Attention in the literature