The Reluctance of the Local Public Administration to Participate in the Triple Helix

Public administration collaboration within the Triple Helix is critical to drive innovation and research. According to European Union support for joint research and innovation agenda through smart specialization projects, the strategy on cooperation within different regions is crucial. In the paper we examine the willingness for cooperation of different levels of government in the Triple Helix in research and innovation in Alpine region. We employed a quantitative approach by surveying public officials across different levels of government in seven countries that make up the Alpine region community. The empirical results suggest that public administration’s willingness to collaborate varies depending on which stakeholder they are associated with. The differences in willingness to collaborate also vary depending on the level of collaboration. The research findings have shown that the biggest obstacles to better collaboration in the Triple Helix are at the local level, despite various efforts in supporting collaboration by the EU.