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Knowledge-based innovation and collaboration: a triple-helix approach in Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

This study analyzed the research productivity of Saudi academics using the triple-helix model. In the analysis, we combined domestic and international collaboration by three sectors—university, industry, and government—according to the model of the triple-helix. This approach produces better results than by simply including international collaboration as fourth sector. According to the analysis, research collaboration in Saudi Arabia which is measured by the triple-helix, was “-” uncertainty (negative T-value) while scientific productivity has been dramatically increasing since the late 2000s. The triple-helix collaboration does not quite differ between domestic collaboration and “domestic and international” collaborations. In our further analysis, we found that technological development was not based on scientific research in Saudi Arabia; rather, the technological development relies on prior technology (patent references). From that point, Saudi Arabia’s current long-term strategic plan to develop a scientific base for a knowledge-based industry is well aligned to the current contexts of Saudi Arabia.

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Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2010-330-B00232)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

    Jung Cheol Shin, Soo Jeung Lee & Yangson Kim

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  1. Jung Cheol Shin
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  2. Soo Jeung Lee
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  3. Yangson Kim
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Correspondence to Jung Cheol Shin.

Appendix

Appendix

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Table 3 Technological fields and academic subject fields
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Shin, J.C., Lee, S.J. & Kim, Y. Knowledge-based innovation and collaboration: a triple-helix approach in Saudi Arabia. Scientometrics 90, 311–326 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0518-3

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