Notwithstanding a recent upsurge in interest in knowledge intermediaries and their roles in innovation support systems, we know little about the interplay between the activities of academia-driven intermediaries and their publicly financed counterparts. Building on a combination of principles derived from the resource-based theory and…

Over the past decades, the demand for scientific research to link theory and practice so that innovative solutions can be developed through research has steadily increased (Klees & Tillmann, 2015; Sandoval & Bell, 2004). In this context, the design-based research (DBR) approach was developed, which examines the research object and the…

European education and training policies have gained momentum with the debt crisis and soaring youth unemployment. In 2013, the 'European Alliance for Apprenticeships' was launched. In Germany, a role model for apprenticeship training in Europe, a national 'Alliance for Initial and Further Training' was signed just one year later. Both Alliances…

This article discusses the question 'How is learning supported within innovation labs and what are its impeding factors?' It is based on three case studies already carried out on innovation labs in the social welfare sector in Germany. The use of innovation labs creates a specific setting for learning in the context of the workplace for its…

Purpose: Innovations in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are essential for increasing resource efficiency and sustainability in the agri-food system. An innovation support service (ISS) can benefit SMEs but the provision and access to it can be restricted across national borders thereby hindering cross-border regions' economic potential.…

As higher education quality assurance in many countries in Europe has become a mature activity, some agencies carrying out external quality assurance are developing beyond their core tasks and missions. The current study identifies new tasks taken up within quality assurance agencies and analyses the drivers behind such development. Based on an…

Interdisciplinary research is a popular mode of knowledge production that becomes intensively promoted by research centers all across the globe. Despite the facilitation of interdisciplinary research, however, scholars working in these centers are 'disciplined.' Career promotions, funding decisions and scientific publishing are based on…

The current study examined children's spontaneous private speech during the vertical and the horizontal Tube Task to shed light on the cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes underlying tool innovation. Tool innovation is defined as solving a novel problem by using or modifying objects in a new and useful way without prior instructions.…

This paper examines the role of institutional isomorphism in influencing digital transformation (DT) within municipalities. It addresses the gap in understanding how coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures shape municipal strategies and operations as they adopt and implement digital technologies. Through a systematic literature review and…

Building and sustaining capacity for organisational learning appears to be a prerequisite for organisational resilience. For schools, organisational learning in crisis situations, such as COVID-19, requires that they have certain learning capacities. Using quasi-longitudinal data, the paper analyses how schools' leadership capacity (as perceived…

Developing social innovation and entrepreneurship competences and skills of children and young people is on the agenda of European educational policy-makers. The European research and innovation project "DOIT -- Entrepreneurial skills for young social innovators in an open digital world" suggests using makerspaces and tools, within…

Entrepreneurship and new venture creation are seen as important drivers of media industry's change and renewal. However, whether newly founded companies will emerge in the future depends to a large extent on entrepreneurial individuals. Through a survey of students from 47 German universities (N = 720), this study identifies critical factors that…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a revised approach describing occupational competence, with particular reference to its application in two European countries at the level of specific occupational fields and in relation to the models used in national vocational education and training (VET) systems. Design/methodology/approach: An…

Government regulations require businesses to improve their processes and products/services in a green and sustainable manner. For being environmentally friendly, businesses should invest more on eco-innovation practices. Firms eco-innovate to promote eco-efficiency and sustainability. This paper evaluates the eco-innovation performance of…

Design thinking is a creative practice that sparks managers' thinking and acting in response to the challenges of shifting consumer preferences, emerging new technological possibilities, and changing business models. The issues for management education, that is, preparing students for future management roles, is how one can teach design thinking…