The aim of this paper is to address the gap in the academic literature towards the development of methodological approaches to the industrial ecosystem potential assessment. This study is focused on the industrial ecosystems formed on the basis of a symbiotic model and implementing the principles of circularity. The article systematizes the problem of using circular and ecosystem approaches in industrial development. A contribution to the literature was achieved by providing a systemic perspective on the sustainable industrial process. In this paper, we develop the methodological foundations to improve the understanding of circular and integration processes’ influence on the industrial ecosystem potential. For a relevant analysis of industrial ecosystem potential, the existing patterns of system functioning were taken into account, including entropy equilibrium and Harrington model. We illustrate our assumptions with an empirical case study of two different industrial ecosystems, Kalundborg Symbiosis and Baltic Industrial Symbiosis, with an assessment of their circular and integration potentials. The results highlight that the potential of Kalundborg Symbiosis in the field of circularity is realized quite productively, but not in full. The holistic knowledge of circularity process provides new information that supports academics, policymakers, government, and individuals with a more appropriate understanding of the conditions that help to eliminate the environmental problems faced in society, helping to achieve the country’s sustainable development goals.

This paper highlights a sustainability and self-organization perspective of the innovation ecosystems. Such issues as under what conditions self-organization takes place and what mechanisms form an innovation ecosystem in a sustainable way are underexplored in the academic literature. To ensure self-development of actors in the ecosystem, a self-adjustment mechanism is needed that allows implementation of sustainability principles. This article proposes a practical tool for assessing an actor in an ecosystem using the method of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), developed by T. Saaty. It allows for operationalizing the processes of self-organization in the ecosystem without an external intervention and addresses the main implications for sustainable development of innovation industrial ecosystems. The authors illustrate their assumptions with an empirical case study of the industrial ecosystem “Technologies for Improving the Quality of Life” (Moscow, Russia). The propositions arising from this analysis provide information to help academics, policymakers, government, and individual enterprises with a more adequate understanding of the practical mechanisms and tools that help trigger self-organization and sustainable development of the innovation ecosystems.

Despite the prominence of sustainable development approaches in the academic literature, together with the significance attributed to the economy and society, the concept is not sufficiently theorized, especially in terms of methodological issues. The presented study makes a contribution to the academic literature by providing a synthesis on territorial sustainable development research and related concepts of innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems (EE). We propose a methodological framework for the assessment of regional sustainability, replicating and expanding the approach of D. Isenberg, and draw inference to the impact of institutional environments on the maturity level of EEs. We present our assumptions in the example of two entrepreneurial ecosystems in Russia and Poland (the Penza region and the Małopolska region) with relevant interpretations, which enable us to gain a comprehensive understanding of how to progress in sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem development. The results of this analysis provides information to help academics, policymakers, government, and business owners with a more in-depth understanding of the practical mechanisms that support absorption of the EE model to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

The current crisis has indicated the need to review the policy of economic growth and globalization towards the search for new sustainable models of the internal territory development able to resist external shocks and threats. To achieve this goal, it is required both to implement sustainability strategies, and to assess the obtained results towards sustainable development. Despite an abundance of literature on sustainability assessment, there is a lack of understanding of the application of sustainability assessment in regional/local contexts. The purpose of the article is to improve theoretical and methodological aspects of the formation of territorial (regional) ecosystems by developing a new approach to assessing its sustainability. We believe that territorial ecosystem sustainability assessment is possible through the entropy of a complex system composed of the entropies of its constituent ecosystems or the entropies of different types of territorial capital (human, production, natural). An application of the entropy approach allows to understand specific features of a particular ecosystem characteristics. We demonstrate our methodology with two empirical case studies of territorial ecosystems of Penza and Vladimir regions. As a result of the analysis, it was found that ecosystem’s sustainability is achieved, primarily, due to the natural capital of the territory. The methodology proposed in our study aims at ensuring comprehensiveness and robustness of the evaluation supporting the decision-making process.

Nowadays, the relevance of technology transfer center network has been greatly increased due to interdisciplinary modern innovations, and cross-sectoral collaboration in project implementation. This paper highlights theoretical and conceptual foundations of technology transfer, and the role of innovation and knowledge. The main purpose of the paper is to analyze the experience of creating technology transfer networks in Russia, and to develop prospective national technology transfer model based on the concept of innovation ecosystem and open innovation. Being a knowledge integrator, a university plays a vital role in technology transfer. The presented study makes contribution to the academic literature by providing a synthesis on related concepts of open innovation, network, and ecosystem approaches to technology transfer. The results of this analysis provide information on prospective models for creating a network of technology transfer in Russia. That will help academics, policymakers, government, and business owners with a more depth understanding of the practical mechanisms that support innovation strategy.

The innovation ecosystem concept has been widely used as a framework to explain innovation activities within different industries. Despite the usefulness of this approach, the concept is under-theorized, especially with regard to the methodological issues. This article presents a new approach in assessing the effectiveness of innovation industrial ecosystems, allowing to take into account the peculiarities of the life cycle stages of individual innovative projects and an ecosystem as a whole. We illustrate our assumptions on the example of two industrial ecosystems’ projects assessments with appropriate explanations, which help from the academicians, researchers, and readers to receive a comprehensive understanding on how to form a knowledge-intensive ecosystem project portfolio and make managerial decisions on further actions of ecosystem actors regarding project development. The presented methodology has been tested on the example of projects implemented by research centers and laboratories of National University of Science and Technology (MISIS; Moscow, Russia). The propositions arising from this analysis provide information to help academics, policymakers, government, and individual enterprises with a more adequate understanding of the practical mechanisms and tools that help implement the ecosystem model for industrial development.

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Universities play a vital role in innovation ecosystems. Besides, their role is being transformed and reinforced due to the interdisciplinary nature of modern innovations and inter-sectoral collaboration in the process of implementing cross-industry projects. The article’s main objective is to reveal the emerging new goals, functions, and goals of university as knowledge integrator and consolidator within cross-industry ecosystem. The article introduces the approaches to the implementation of the cross-industry ecosystem integrator functions as an “entry point” for the creation of new ideas, competencies, technological solutions, and projects for the development and testing of new technologies. The research results are useful for academics and policy makers in emerging economies to adopt and consider, so as to improve the contribution of the universities to the country’s economic and innovation development.