Towards an Emerging Unified Theory of Helix Architectures (EUTOHA): Focus on the Quintuple Innovation Helix Framework as the Integrative Device

Abstract

Quadruple and Quintuple Helix Innovation Systems aim to optimize the design and operation of modern, democratic societies and economies in a smart, sustainable, inclusive, resilient and efficacious manner via the cyber-physical ecosystems that align with Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0 precepts. In this context, the Quintuple Innovation Helix Framework (which is part of the Quadruple/Quintuple Innovation Helix or Q2IH) represents the most comprehensive, meaningful and valuable construct and modality as it encompasses the five key core dimensions of modern, sustainable and democratic knowledge economies and societies. These are the Environment, the Civil Society as well as the Government, University and Industry dimensions. We strongly feel that it is appropriate and even critical, given current events in Europe that starkly highlight the conflict and struggle between democracies and autocracies, to enable, facilitate and even accelerate the further development of an Emerging Unified Theory of Helical Architectures (EUTOHA). The objective would be to bring clarity, coherence and consistency to the process of leveraging the helical architectures to advance and enhance the design of solutions for the digital transformation of modern knowledge economies and societies towards more democratic and sustainable (green) ones.

Triple Helix Model of Innovation: From Boundaries to Frontiers

“…The former generates innovation dynamics that drive innovation systems, and the latter generates sustainable development dynamics, which, together with innovation dynamics, underline innovation ecosystems. Similarly, Carayannis and Campbell (2022) called for scholars of different Helix models to jointly develop an emerging unified theory of helical architectures, particularly as a response to the current situation in Europe with conflicts and struggles between democracies and autocracies.…”

The “Endless Perspective” to University – Industry – Government Relations

“…Although, shedding light to the current argument, the progress on conceptual frameworks of different Helix models fostered by leading scholars (Amaral and Cai, 2022), seems unsuited to ground theoretically a model with internal boundaries to the institutional spheres of the university, industry, and government. To that effect it differs from the expansionary propositions on Quadruple and Quintuple Helix models (Carayannis and Campbell, 2022) or models that propose decomposing higher-order helices into multiple interrelated triple helices or two-layer triple helices (Cai, 2022;Leydesdorff and Smith, 2022;Xue and Gao, 2022). A model that contemplates boundaries within the institutional spheres also diverges form the archetype where innovation generates in an endless transition by the interaction between relatively independent institutional spheres "taking the role of the other".…”

“…In this respect, Triple Helix is used to address the transformation: in university as an instrument to study the capitalization of knowledge, in industry to depict the boundary-spanning, and to address the 'innovation state' that implies the government as a regulator but also as an active agent (Cai and Amaral, 2021;Etzkowitz and Zhou, 2017) The current academic discussion is centered on relations between Triple, Quadruple, Quintuple and N-tuple helices models researching options as sticking to simple Helix models, or adding further helices especially when considering higher-order dynamics, either decomposing higher-order helices into multiple interrelated triple helices (Amaral and Cai, 2022;Park and Stek, 2022). For Carayannis and Campbell (2022) Triple Helix boundaries should be expanded with environment and civil society to address "modern, sustainable and democratic knowledge economies and societies" but as Cai (2022) develops a neo-Triple Helix model with its triads within triads or two-layer triple helices it present a scope perspective although without unequivocally expressing the concept.…”

“…To address this perceived limitation the prevailing approach has been expanding the Triple Helix outward adding additional spheres. A Quadruple Helix (Carayannis and Campbell, 2009), comprising the public, and a Quintuple Helix (Carayannis and Campbell, 2010), adding the environment, are firmly grounded in the literature (Carayannis and Campbell, 2022).…”

Have Quadruple and Quintuple Helices Emerged? Metaphors, Project Titles, and Empirical Research

“…One repeats the articulation of steering-models in policy debates using anecdotal evidence. For example, Carayannis and Campbell (2022) proposed an "emerging unified theory of helix architectures, EUTOHA." These authors, however, did not specify how a quadruple or quintuple helix contributes to innovations other than programmatically.…”