REGIONAL INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS BOOSTING NEW GENERATION SCIENCE PARKS: THE AVEIRO REGION (PORTUGAL) CREATIVE SCIENCE PARK

The aim of this paper is to present the experience the Aveiro innovation area and its recently launched Creative Science Park, a project aiming at leveraging the regional knowledge-intensive economy within a context of an international clustering network. We discuss the drivers and evolution of a "naturally born" innovation area, given the fact that the region had all the elements of a spatially delocalized modern science park. This setting encouraged the relevant regional triple helix stakeholders to move forward and create a central infrastructure, contiguous to the University of Aveiro Campus, gathering in its premises the academia, industry, and entrepreneurs, strongly articulated with the existing municipal incubation poles, municipal industrial parks and local authorities, further stimulating knowledge based economy. The triple helix model is used as a tool to recognize pre-existing conditions in the region and to establish the necessary strategic decisions, namely in the selection of specialization areas and governance model of the Creative Science Park.