Subthemes and convenors

Please locate the subtheme that is most aligned with your work and select it in the form to submit your abstract. 

Subthemes include, but are not limited to:

1. Economics and organizing of innovation ecosystems
André Aquino and Clarisse Gomes

Innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems are vibrant, collaborative environments where different actors, such as companies, startups, universities, government, and intermediary organizations, interact continuously and dynamically to create and generate value. More than formal structures, these ecosystems are organized through everyday practices of coordination, governance, and orchestration, often without a central hierarchical authority. This theme brings together research that seeks to understand how these ecosystems function in practice, aiming to understand: i) how value is created and measured; ii) how the expectations and interests of the various actors in the ecosystem are communicated and aligned; iii) how policies and institutional instruments influence the actions of the actors; iv) how tensions between economic, social, and environmental objectives are negotiated over time. By integrating economics, organization, and everyday practices, the theme invites contributions that help explain how innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems are born, structured, evolve, and sustained, generating impacts and creating value in different regional and institutional contexts.

1.1 Value creation in entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems
Convenors: Priscila Rezende da Costa, Kadigia Faccin, Clarissa Dourado Freite, Clarisse Gomes and André Aquino

• Multi-actor interactions shaping value creation and distribution in entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems

• Metrics and indicators to evaluate ecosystem performance across economic, technological, environmental and social dimensions

• Emerging models of value capture within relational and multi-stakeholder ecosystems

• Tensions between economic, social and environmental value logics and their implication for ecosystems

1.2 Innovation policy, governance and orchestration of innovation ecosystems
Convenors: Heiko Schmidt, Luciano Felipe, Leonardo Vasconcelos and Felipe Borini

• Orchestration strategies for coordinating diverse actors wihtout hierarchical authority

• Navigating overlapping rules, incentives, norms and stakeholder expectations

• Routines and micro-practices thought which actors negotiate priorities, align expectations, and build dhared sustainability agendas

• Intermediary organizations and orchestratos (parks, hubs, districts) as governance agents

• Policy instruments for ecosystem development (mission-oriented policies, sandboxes, tax incentives)

• Place-based innovation policies and their effects on regional capacities and ecosystem emergence

2. Social innovation and citizen participation
Milena Serafim

Social innovation and participation have become central to understanding how knowledge districts and innovation ecosystems shape contemporary urban and regional development. Beyond economic performance, these territories increasingly depend on inclusive social development, social infrastructure and community well-being. The debate highlights participatory and collaborative governance models that integrate universities, governments, firms, civil society and local communities. Experimental public administration, public innovation labs and social experimentation emerge as key tools to address complex territorial challenges. The intersections between social policy, innovation policy and regional development are essential to reducing inequalities and strengthening local empowerment. New evaluation frameworks and metrics seek to capture social innovation, public value and socio-environmental impacts. Together, these perspectives reframe innovation territories as spaces for inclusion, democratic governance and long-term transformation.

2.1. Social innovation and citizen participation
Convenors: Silvia Stuchi, Denis dos Santos Alves, Milena Eugenio da Silva and Rafael Dias 

• Social development and territorial inclusion in knowledge districts 

• Strategies for promoting inclusive social development in science parks, knowledge districts and innovation corridors

• Social infrastructure, public services and community well-being in knowledge-based urban development

• Mechanisms for reducing territorial inequalities and strengthening local empowerment

• Intersections between social policy, innovation policy and regional development

2.2. Participation, co-creation and collaborative governance
Convenors: Thais Dibbern, Oswaldo Gonçalves Junior and Carolina Filipini 

• Involvement of local communities in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and projects in knowledge districts and innovation ecosystems

• Models of public participation, deliberation, consultation and civic engagement

• Governance mechanisms to integrate universities, local governments, startups, NGOs and communities

• Quadruple/Quintuple Helix arrangements with a focus on inclusion, equity and social justice

2.3. Experimental public administration and social innovation practices
Convenors: Juliana Leite and Guilherme Leme

• Use of public innovation labs, experimental methodologies, behavioral insights (nudges) and design thinking in urban and territorial policy

• Social experiments in innovation districts, campuses and university cities

• Initiatives that integrate social innovation with climate, energy, food and health transitions

• Mission-oriented approaches and integrative models for territorial transformation

2.4. Evaluation, metrics and social impact in innovation ecosystems
Convenors: Adriana Bin and Natalia Cetrulo

• Indicators and methods to assess social innovation, socio-environmental impacts, productive inclusion and well-being

• Critical approaches to measuring social value in innovation ecosystems

• Frameworks for monitoring long-term social outcomes in knowledge regions and innovation districts

3. Urban innovation
Gabriela Celani

Innovation is not merely a process but an ecosystem that thrives on the synergy between specialized physical infrastructure and human connectivity. Beyond traditional laboratories and offices, contemporary innovation hubs require a deliberate integration of work infrastructure, living facilities, collaborative event spaces, and 'third places' that foster community. To successfully attract and retain global talent—whether in urban or peri-urban environments—these spaces need a distinct identity, meticulous master planning, and a commitment to long-term sustainability.

3.1. Urban design and planning in knowledge districts
Convenors: Evandro Monteiro, Silvia Stuchi, Lara Vitarelli and Marcela Noronha

• Urban qualities of successful parks and districts - morphology, infrastructure, land use and public space

• Local and regionaĺ integration of parks and districts - the role of mobility networks

• Retrofitting 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation parks and districts - roadmaps and challenges

• Digital twins, smart sensors and other technologies for managing space in knowledge districts 

3.2. Sustainability in knowledge districts
Convenors: José Gilberto Dalfré Filho, Juliana Machado, Luciana Schenk, Luana Cruz, Emilia Rutkowski, Ana Maria Sperandio, Silvia Mikami, Iara Gonçalves dos Santos and Thalita Dalbelo

• Resilience and sustainability as a key factor in parks and districts - Nature-based solutions, clean energy, carbon neutrality and new sustainable technologies

• Reducing climate impact in parks and districts and beyond

• The role of green infrastructure in parks and districts - from parks to urban agriculture and agroforestry

• Blue infrastructure in parks and districts - water and sanitation systems

• Circular economy and waste reduction in parks and districts

• Healthy environment and equity in parks and districts

• Social diversity and inclusion in parks and districts - models for providing jobs, housing affordability, availability, and accessibility

• Climate justice in knowledge territories

3.3. Placemaking in knowledge districts
Convenors: Mauricio del Nero, Adriane Eloah, Fabricia Zulin and Leticia Teixeira Mendes 

• Placemaking, cultural heritage and place identity in parks and districts

• Fostering serendipity and urban vitality in parks and districts

• Sense of community and the role of urban collectives in parks and districts

• Fablabs and maker communities in parks and districts