Performance reporting for innovation partnerships – the case of the triple helix in Zambia

The aim of this study was to understand stakeholder roles and performance measurement practices needed for the success of the triple helix model of innovation. This knowledge is critical for providing policy advice that would harness innovation activities and contribute to socioeconomic development. Most innovation performance frameworks are theoretical and generic in nature and fail to bring out the practical elements needed for policy formulation and decision making. Key issues in the course of developing an innovation partnership such include identifying and understanding the roles to be played by different stakeholders involved in the collaboration and, consequently, identifying and developing measures to report the performance of the collaboration in addressing local needs. In order to undertake such a study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with diverse stakeholders drawn from government, industry, academia, civil society organizations, and innovation hubs. Qualitative data analysis involved thematic analysis to identify the key themes emerging from the data. The findings indicate that different stakeholders play different centrality and brokerage roles in influencing the success of the triple helix depending on their capabilities and resources. In order to monitor the success of the triple helix model, the study presents three categories of performance measures including measures of socio-economic performance, measures of social and symbolic performance, and measures of financial and social performance. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature by providing empirical flesh to social network theory on how to harness the functioning of innovation networks such as the triple helix within a developing-country context.This study calls for an increased need to continuously strengthen the education system at all levels to promote and emphasize hands-on science, mathematics, innovation, and the commercialization of intellectual property and entrepreneurship. Scientific research and development for products, services, and processes need to be promoted and supported by developing mechanisms for academia and industry to regularly share knowledge and focus on solving industry and societal problems. Specialized research centres, innovation hubs, or technology and innovation support centres (TISCs) around national priority and strategic areas/sectors can be opened and funded in selected universities and research institutions. It is imperative to promote the registration, protection, and utilization of intellectual property through TISCs, having clarified ownership issues from publicly funded research activities. Finally, there is a need to increase research and innovation expenditure by targeting a certain percentage of the annual budget. For the performance measurement system recommended above to be effective, the government is expected to create an environment in which industry and academia will closely interact with each other. This could be achieved by undertaking joint research and innovation ventures, where industry finances research projects and universities undertake such activities on behalf of industry partners.