Armand van Oostrom, Christine de Lille, and Erik Stam
The urgency to accelerate societal transitions, for example in addressing challenges like climate change, demands innovative solutions. Entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) are vital in fostering such innovation, yet the current pace, in the Netherlands, falls short in many regions. The establishment by national governments of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) has been part of decentralisation efforts to promote economic development and reduce regional disparities. These RDAs play a pivotal role in cultivating and supporting EEs to drive transitions effectively. Innovations challenge existing socio-technical systems, necessitating whole systems change, adaptation, and governance. A 5-year research project, led by Dutch RDAs and a consortium of universities, seeks to enhance societal missions through EEs. Design science can play a significant role in critiquing the incumbent system while fostering co-designed solutions for system failures. By combining EEs and systemic co-design, the project aims to understand and address the regional conditions influencing EEs, particularly those around the energy and the agrifood transition.
The paper focuses on the contribution of systemic co-design, complementing other research methods such as data-driven quantitative approaches, within the context of this project. The paper also outlines the current state of the project and the challenges ahead. This paper is part of the PhD research by the lead author to establish the main framework for the research.
KEYWORDS: entrepreneurial ecosystems, regional development agency, transitions, systemic design, systemic co-design