Dear Colleagues,

The increased number of studies in sustainable regional economic development highlight the necessity of a ecosystemic approach that will be able to identify, recognize, access and integrate knowledge assets more effectively and efficiently to derive, develop and capture non‐appropriable, defensible, sustainable and scalable pecuniary benefits. Such an approach can focus on smart, sustainable and inclusive growth of regions, emphasizing the Quadruple and Quintuple Innovation Helix models which empower civil society on a triple‐bottom‐line‐centric basis (i.e. environmentally, financially and
socially sustainable manner).

Based on the previous framework, the special issue aim to cover the following topics:
1. Smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (S2_IG)
2. Quadruple and Quintuple Innovation Helix Frameworks (Q2IH)
3. Strategic Knowledge Serendipity and Arbitrage Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystems (SKARSE EIEs)
4. Digital transformation, Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, Society 5.0 and Risk 5.0 especially in the context of the pandemic experience (DT_FOUR2FIVE_POINT_OH)
5. The role of universities and higher education institutions in the knowledge economy, knowledge society and knowledge democracy
6. Macro, meso and micro level qualitative and quantitative studies from various sectors especially in the context of the pandemic experience across various sectors and technologies (education, pharmaceutical, transportation, banking, supply chain management, etc) (M3_Q2)
7. Implications for theory, policy, practice and politics concerning especially sustainabilityrelated emerging concepts and modalities (TP3_SUSTAIN)

In terms of the theoretical foundations, reference is being made to the concept and theory of the Quadruple and Quintuple Helix innovations systems, and how this relates and interacts with structures and processes of sustainability.

The special issue aims to usefully supplement the existing literature in this field, particularly the following thematic areas of research (please also see related publications):

• ‘Mode 3’ and Quadruple Helix (Carayannis and Campbell, 2009; Carayannis, Grigoroudis and Valvi, 2021),
• Strategic Knowledge Serendipity and Arbitrage (Carayannis, 2014; Carayannis and Clark, 2011; Carayannis, Clark and Valvi, 2013; Clark and Valvi, 2018),
• Developed Democracies versus Emerging Autocracies: Art, Democracy, and innovation in Quadruple Helix innovation systems (Carayannis and Campbell, 2014),
• Regional Co‐opetitive Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (Carayannis, Grigoroudis et et al., 2018a),
• The Ecosystem as Helix (Carayannis, Grigoroudis et al., 2018b),
• ‘Mode 3’ Universities (Carayannis et al., 2018a),
• Quality of Democracy as Innovation Enabler (Campbell, 2019) as well as
• Climate and Democracy Interaction Dynamics (Carayannis and Campbell, 2021)
• Democracy and the Environment：How Political Freedom is linked with Environmental Sustainability(Carayannis, Grigoroudis and Campbell, 2021)

References
Campbell, D.F.J. (2019). Global quality of democracy as innovation enabler: Measuring democracy for success, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Carayannis, E.G. (2014). Strategic Knowledge Arbitrage and Serendipity (SKARSE™) in Action, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 5 (203–211).
Carayannis, E. G. and S. C. Clark (2011). Do Smartphones Make for Smarter Business? The Smartphone CEO Study, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2 (201).
Carayannis, E. G., S.C. Clark, and T. E. Valvi (2013). Smartphone Affordance: Achieving Better Business Through Innovation, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, vol. 4(4), pages 444‐472, December.
Carayannis, E.G. and D.F.J. Campbell (2009). ‘Mode 3’ and ‘Quadruple Helix’: Toward a 21st century fractal innovation ecosystem, International Journal of Technology Management, 46 (3/4), 201‐234.
Carayannis, E.G. and D.F.J. Campbell (2014). Developed democracies versus emerging autocracies: Arts, democracy, and innovation in quadruple helix innovation systems, Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 3 (12). 1‐23.
Carayannis, E.G. and D.F.J. Campbell (2021). Democracy of Climate and Climate for Democracy: the Evolution of Quadruple and Quintuple Helix Innovation Systems, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, in print.
Carayannis, E.G., E. Grigoroudis, D.F.J. Campbell, D. Meissner, and D. Stamati (2018a). ‘Mode 3’ universities and academic firms: Thinking beyond the box trans‐disciplinarity and nonlinear innovation dynamics within coopetitive entrepreneurial ecosystems, International Journal of Technology Management, 77 (1‐3), 145‐185.
Carayannis, E.G., E. Grigoroudis, D.F.J. Campbell, D. Stamati, and D. Meissner (2018b). The ecosystem as helix: An exploratory theory‐building study of regional co‐opetitive entrepreneurial ecosystems as Quadruple/Quintuple Helix Innovation models, R&D Management, 48(1), 148‐162.
Clark, S. C and Valvi, T. E. Wireless Mobility in Organizations, DIE4G Palgrave Series, 2018.
Carayannis, E. G., E. Grigoroudis, D. Stamati and T. E. Valvi, Social Business Model Innovation: A Quadruple/Quintuple Helix‐Based Social Innovation Ecosystem, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 235‐248, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1109/TEM.2019.2914408.

Prof. Elias G. Carayannis
Prof. Dr. Evangelos Grigoroudis
Prof. David F. J. Campbell
Dr. Stephen C. Clark
Guest Editors

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• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystems
• Sustainable Regional Economic Development
• Quadruple and Quintuple Helix Innovation Systems
• Strategic Knowledge Arbitrage and Serendipity
• Social Business Model Innovation