Innovation intermediaries are organisations that act as agents or brokers within the innovation process, connecting multiple actors, resources and perspectives. As boundary-spanning institutions, they translate high-level visions into practical action by linking stakeholders from the quadruple helix—policymakers, industry (particularly SMEs), universities, research organisations and civil society—with bottom-up experimentation across regional innovation ecosystems. Their central importance lies in their capacity to articulate transformative goals, align actors across sectors and governance levels, and foster experimentation, reflexivity and broad participation. The rise of challenge-driven innovation places new demands on these organisations. Intermediaries are increasingly expected to operate as system stewards capable of orchestrating complex, multi-actor processes and embedding societal challenges into regional development pathways. Fulfilling this expanded role—what can be described as the evolution toward intermediary 3.0—requires long-term mandates, stable funding frameworks and formal recognition within mission governance structures.
Moderators: Policy Learning Platform management team, Marc Pattinson and Arnault Morisson
Three days of learning and networking in Dublin at ASTP annual conference. What a great event!!
Sandra Aresta
CIBIO - Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal
Always simply inspiring! That is ASTP.
Filip Auinger
Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic
This was the right decision giving me the broadest overview, confidence, tools, network and support that is fundamental to feel right in my daily decision process and to keep on learning.
Ricardo Castro
Centre for research in agricultural Genomics, Spain
ASTP corroborates the strong need for profound insights and exchanges on practices, instruments and competencies that cut across functional, organisational, institutional, sectorial and geographic boundaries.
Koenraad Debackere
KU Leuven, Belgium
Working and Learning with old and new friends – best way to do it!
Sara Matt-Leubner
University of Innsbruck, Austria
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