Abstract

Abstract
This study aims to explore the impact of seven dimensions of local communities’ involvement in the context of the sustainable open innovation paradigm on entrepreneurial performance considering a tri-dimensional perspective comprising turnover, innovation capacity (IC), and employability. A quantitative methodology was adopted, applying correlational analysis and hypothesis testing to a total of 296 new ventures based in European science parks. The findings indicate that only the entrepreneurial capacity of new ventures has improved, but not turnover and employment. Also, only years of experience in open innovation networks contribute to increasing the performance of entrepreneurs in their IC, but age and gender are not significant factors. This study broadens the scope of sustainable open innovation by positioning local communities as central actors rather than peripheral stakeholders. It enriches key theoretical frameworks such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and social capital theory by emphasizing community-driven innovation. Practically, it offers actionable strategies for engaging communities and guiding policymakers toward inclusive innovation policies, thereby contributing to both academic discourse and real-world impact in sustainability and innovation ecosystems.

Abstract

Abstract
EMSO ERIC is a unique European distributed marine Research Infrastructure dedicated to the observation and study of the deep ocean in the long term in fixed regional areas. It provides different services of which access to its infrastructure by external users -engineers, scientists and researchers-, working both in the public and private sectors. The aim of this service, called physical access, is to facilitate access to instrumented platforms deployed at different sites across the European seas, from the seabed to the surface, in order to perform experiments in geosciences and engineering in real ocean conditions. Depending on the logistics and availability of each site, users may deploy their own platforms, instruments, systems or technologies to be tested by the existing equipment that, in this case, can provide reference measurements. Users may also deploy their own systems on the existing EMSO platforms, either in standalone mode or connected to them, receiving power and, in some cases, being able to transmit data by satellite or by cable, depending on the site. Projects requiring the use of several EMSO sites are also accepted. The host EMSO Regional Facility provides logistics and technical support in order to deploy and recover the systems, access the data and it may also offer training and co-development. EMSO ERIC launches the physical access call on a yearly basis and evaluates the received project proposals every two months. Access is free of charge and funding is available for travel, consumables, shipping, operations and hardware adaptations needed to run the project. Since 2022, when the first call was launched, ten projects with varied topics have been funded and are in different phases of execution.

Abstract

Abstract