Networks of Innovation: Science, Technology and Development in the Triple Helix Era

There is a common movement, from different starting points in various countries, to achieve knowledge-based economic and social development. The heart of the triple helix thesis is an expansion of the role of knowledge in society and of the university in the economy. The university is undergoing a dual transformation: an expansion of missions to include economic and social development as well as training, cultural reproduction and research and a shift from an individual to an organisational focus in each mission. The triple helix thesis of relations among university, industry and government is proposed as a development strategy to fill social capital as well as technology gaps. European Union and Canadian networked R&D schemes and the growth of firm-formation and incubation, especially in Brazilian networked incubators, exemplify the realization of the triple helix network as a development model.