Territorial Dynamics Supported by a Collaborative Network of Innovation Labs: Toward an Approach to Establish a Portfolio of Indicators to Monitor and Assess their Territorial Impact

Abstract

The multiplication of apparently similar Innovation Labs throughout the local territories raises questions about their role and their positioning. Innovation Labs are generally supplied by local resources. This substantial growth could facilitate the connection of various regions within a territory, thereby creating new areas for experimentation. The public authorities need these labs to bring added value to their territory. This study shows that a network of Innovation Labs could be a strategic means to support territorial dynamics at a local scale. The literature does not provide concrete tools, resources, and methods to evaluate the territorial impacts of Innovation Labs. Furthermore, no literature review regarding the networking of Innovation Labs in a territory has yet been conducted. This paper begins to fill this gap and shows that the linking of innovation labs can support territorial dynamics. Through a review of the literature, research trends pertaining to territorial dynamics and innovation laboratories were identified. The contribution of this paper is the proposal of an approach to design a system of indicators to analyze a network of ILs adapted to a local territory as well as a portfolio of indicators. These results will allow us to follow the evolution of these labs, their interactions and their impacts on a local territory.