Evaluating the Quality of Human Resources in a Regional Scientific and Educational Ecosystem

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17059/ekon.reg.2025-4-16

Keywords:

scientific and educational ecosystem, human resources quality assessment, human resources of the region, human resources quality characteristics, human resources quality impact on the economy

Abstract

Modern developments in science and education are marked by rapid changes in the global environment and the emergence of regional science-education ecosystems. However, the quality of the human resources (HR) involved in these ecosystems remains insufficiently examined. The purpose of the paper is to identify the key characteristics of HR quality in a regional science-education ecosystem, introduce a methodological approach for assessing HR quality through its influence on the regional economy, and demonstrate the application of this approach. The study’s hypothesis suggests that evaluating HR quality in a regional science-education ecosystem should include characteristics such as competence, motivation, engagement, innovativeness, and competitiveness. The proposed methodological approach is applied to assess HR quality in the science-education ecosystem of Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia. This region is one of the country’s major research hubs and has hosted the Academgorodok 2.0 program since 2018.
            The analysis shows that the region’s human resources have above-average competitiveness, with an overall quality score of 4.4. They are highly qualified and open to innovation, supporting the region’s leading position in Russia’s innovation development ranking. Weaknesses include low workforce engagement and limited interaction between science, education, and industry. Enhancing collaboration among these spheres could strengthen the region’s innovative development. The study is limited by regional statistics, which do not fully capture all HR quality characteristics. Nevertheless, the results can guide regional science-education policy and support ecosystem-focused cooperation.

Author Biographies

Inna A. Kulkova , Institute of Economics of the Ural Branch of RAS

Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Professor, Leading Research Associate; Scopus Author ID: 57208554159; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1975-0875  (29, Moskovskaya St., Ekaterinburg, 620014, Russian Federation; e-mail: i.a.koulkova@mail.ru).

Yuliya А. Masalova , Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management

Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Head of the Department of Labor Economics and Personnel Management, Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management; Associate Professor of the Department of Management, Novosibirsk State Technical University; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5298-5743 (56, Kamenskaya St., Novosibirsk, 630099, Russian Federation; 20, K. Marksa Ave., Novosibirsk, 630073, Russian Federation; e-mail: ymasalova@yandex.ru).

References

Adner, R. (2017). Ecosystem as structure: An actionable construct for strategy. Journal of Management, 43 (1), 39–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316678451

Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2010). Value creation in innovation ecosystems: How the structure of technological interdependence affects firm performance in new technology generations. Strategic Management Journal, 31 (3), 306–333. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.821

Alexy, O., George, G., & Salter, A. J. (2013). Cui bono? The selective revealing of knowledge and its implications for innovative activity. Academy of Management Review, 38 (2), 270–291. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2011.0193

Baldwin, C. Y. (2012). Organization design for business ecosystems. Journal of Organization Design, 1 (1), 20–23. https://doi.org/10.7146/jod.6334

Barokas, J., & Barth, I. (2018). Multi-stakeholder ecosystems in rapidly changing educational environments. 2018 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) (pp. 1934–1938). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/EDUCON.2018.8363472

Bogers, M., Sims, J., & West, J. (2019). What is an ecosystem? Incorporating 25 years of ecosystem research. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 2019 (1), 11080. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2019.11080abstract

Brusoni, S., & Prencipe, A. (2013). The organization of innovation in ecosystems: Problem framing, problem solving, and patterns of coupling. Advances in Strategic Management, 30, 167–194.

Cai, Y., Ma, J., & Chen, Q. (2020). Higher education in innovation ecosystems. Sustainability, 12 (11), 4376. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114376

Carayannis, E. G., & Campbell, D. F. (2009). “Mode 3” and “Quadruple Helix”: toward a 21st century fractal innovation ecosystem. International Journal of Technology Management, 46 (3/4), 201. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijtm.2009.023374

Carayannis, E. G., Barth, T. D., & Campbell, D. F. (2012). The Quintuple Helix innovation model: Global warming as a challenge and driver for innovation. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 1, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/2192–5372-1-2

Carayannis, E. G., Grigoroudis, E., Campbell, D. F. J., Meissner, D., & Stamati, D. (2018). The ecosystem as helix: an exploratory theory-building study of regional co-opetitive entrepreneurial ecosystems as Quadruple/Quintuple Helix Innovation Models. R and D Management, 48 (1), 148–162. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12300

Ceccagnoli, N., Forman, N., Huang, N., & Wu, N. (2012). Cocreation of value in a platform ecosystem! The case of enterprise software. MIS Quarterly, 36 (1), 263. https://doi.org/10.2307/41410417

Cennamo, C., & Santalo, J. (2013). Platform competition: Strategic trade-offs in platform markets. Strategic Management Journal, 34 (11), 1331–1350. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2066

Clarysse, B., Wright, M., Bruneel, J., & Mahajan, A. (2014). Creating value in ecosystems: Crossing the chasm between knowledge and business ecosystems. Research Policy, 43 (7), 1164–1176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.04.014

Crilly, M., Vemury, C. M., Humphrey, R., Rodriguez, S., Crosbie, T., Johnson, K., Wilson, A., & Heidrich, O. (2020). Common Language of Sustainability for Built Environment Professionals—The Quintuple Helix Model for Higher Education. Energies, 13 (22), 5860. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13225860

Etzkowitz, H. (2008). The Triple Helix: University-Industry-Government Innovation in Action. New York: Routledge, 164.

Etzkowitz, H., & Leydesdorff, L. (1995). The Triple Helix—University-industry-government relations: A laboratory for knowledge based economic development. EASST review, 14 (1), 14–19.

Fauzer, V. V., & Smirnov, A. V. (2024). Multidimensional Demography: A New Approach to Assessing the Human Resources of the Russian North. Ekonomika regiona [Economy of regions], 20 (2), 395–411. https://doi.org/10.17059/ekon.reg.2024-2-4 (In Russ.)

Ganco, M., Kapoor, R., & Lee, G. K. (2020). From rugged landscapes to rugged ecosystems: Structure of interdependencies and firms’ innovative search. Academy of Management Review, 45 (3), 646–674. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2017.0549

Gawer, A., & Cusumano, M. A. (2008). How companies become platform leaders. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49 (2), 28–35.

Geuna, A., & Muscio, A. (2009). The Governance of University Knowledge Transfer: A Critical Review of the literature. Minerva, 47 (1), 93–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11024-009-9118-2

Gulati, R., Puranam, P., & Tushman, M. (2012). Meta-organization design: Rethinking design in interorganizational and community contexts. Strategic Management Journal, 33 (6), 571–586. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.1975

Jacobides, M. G., Cennamo, C., & Gawer, A. (2018). Towards a theory of ecosystems. Strategic Management Journal, 39 (8), 2255–2276. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2904

Kapoor, K., Bigdeli, A. Z., Dwivedi, Y. K., Schroeder, A., Beltagui, A., & Baines T. (2021). A socio-technical view of platform ecosystems: Systematic review and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 128, 94–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.060

Kapoor, R. (2018). Ecosystems: broadening the locus of value creation. Journal of Organization Design, 7 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41469-018-0035-4

Kerres, M., & Heinen, R. (2015). Open informational ecosystems: The missing link for sharing resources for education. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16 (1). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v16i1.2008

Khamidulin, V. S. (2018). The Triple Helix Model and Regional Economic Development: The Role of Universities. Ars Administrandi, 10 (4), 598–609. https://doi.org/10.17072/2218–9173-2018-4-598-609 (In Russ.)

Koroleva, D., Khavenson, T., & Tomasova D. (2023). Genesis and Predictive ability of ecosystem approach in education. Foresight-Russia, 17 (4), 93–109. https://doi.org/10.17323/2500–2597.2023.4.93.109

Koul, S., & Nayar, B. (2021). The holistic learning educational ecosystem: A classroom 4.0 perspective. Higher Education Quarterly, 75 (1), 98–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12271

Kremneva, L. V., Zavedensky, K. E., Rabinovich, P. D., & Apenko, S. N. (2020). Strategizing Education: Ecosystem Transition. Integratsiya obrazovaniya [Integration of Education], 24 (4), 656–677. https://doi.org/10.15507/1991–9468.101.024.202004.656-677 (In Russ.)

Kuzminov, Ya. I., & Yudkevich, M. M. (2021). Universitety v Rossii: kak eto rabotaet [Russian universities: How the system works]. Moscow: HSE Publishing House, 616. (In Russ.)

Lavrikova, Yu. G. (Ed.) (2020). Prioritety nauchno-tekhnologicheskogo razvitiya regionov: mekhanizmy realizatsii [Priorities of scientific and technological development of the regions: Implementation mechanisms]. Ekaterinburg: Institute of Economics of the Ural Branch of RAS, 603. (In Russ.)

Leten, B., Vanhaverbeke, W., Roijakkers, N., Clerix, A., & Van Helleputte, J. (2013). IP models to orchestrate Innovation ecosystems: IMEC, a public research institute in Nano-Electronics. California Management Review, 55 (4), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2013.55.4.51

Leydesdorff, L. (2012). The Triple Helix, quadruple Helix, . . ., and an N-Tuple of Helices: Explanatory Models for analyzing the Knowledge-Based Economy? Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 3 (1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-011-0049-4

Masalova, Y. A. (2022). Scientific and educational ecosystem as an environment for human resource development. Kreativnaya ekonomika [Creative Economy], 16 (12), 4973–4986. https://doi.org/10.18334/ce.16.12.116926 (In Russ.)

Masalova, Yu. A. (2015). Quality Management System of Human Resources. Vestnik Omskogo universiteta. Seriya: Ekonomika [Herald of Omsk University. Series: Economics], (1), 81–85. (In Russ.)

McAdam, M., & Debackere, K. (2018). Beyond ‘triple helix’ toward ‘quadruple helix’ models in regional innovation systems: implications for theory and practice. R and D Management, 48 (1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12309

Muthusamy, S. K., & White, M. A. (2005). Learning and knowledge transfer in strategic alliances: A social exchange view. Organization studies, 26 (3), 415–441.

Oh, D., Phillips, F., Park, S., & Lee, E. (2016). Innovation ecosystems: A critical examination. Technovation, 54, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2016.02.004

Parker, G., Van Alstyne, M., & Jiang, X. (2017). Platform ecosystems. MIS quarterly, 41 (1), 255–266.

Patsala, S. V., & Goroshko, N. V. (2022). Novosibirsk region in Russian economy: Science and innovation. Vestnik PNIPU. Sotsial’no-ekonomicheskie nauki [PNRPU Sociology and Economics Bulletin], (1), 220–237. https://doi.org/10.15593/2224–9354/2022.17 (In Russ.)

Reichert, S. (2019). The Role of Universities in Regional Innovation Ecosystems. Brussels: EUA.

Ritala, P., Agouridas, V., Assimakopoulos, D., & Gies, O. (2013). Value creation and capture mechanisms in innovation ecosystems: a comparative case study. International Journal of Technology Management, 63 (3/4), 244. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijtm.2013.056900

Saragih, H. S., & Tan, J. D. (2018). Co-innovation: a review and conceptual framework. International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 17 (3), 361. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijbir.2018.095542

Smorodinskaya, N., Russell, M., Katukov, D., & Still, K. (2017). Innovation Ecosystems vs. Innovation Systems in Terms of Collaboration and Co-creation of Value. Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, (2017), 5245–5254. https://doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2017.636

Sørensen, M. P., Geschwind, L., Kekäle, J., & Pinheiro, R. (2019). (Eds.) The Responsible University: Exploring the Nordic Context and Beyond. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Teece, D. J. (2018). Business ecosystems. In M. Augier & D. J. Teece (Eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Management (pp. 151–154). London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-00772-8_724

Teichler, U. (2006). Changing structures of the higher education systems: The increasing complexity of underlying forces. Higher Education Policy, 19 (4), 447–461. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300133

Tomasova, D. A., Khavenson, T. E., & Koroleva, D. O. (2021). Educational Ecosystems: Traditional and Non-traditional Actors in the Development of Territories. In D. P. Sosnin (Ed.), Goroda budushchego: prostranstvennoe razvitie, souchastvuyushchee upravlenie i tvorcheskie industrii [Cities of the Future: Spatial Development, Participatory Management and Creative Industries] (pp. 349–373). Moscow: Publishing house “Delo” of RANEPA. (In Russ.)

Tsoukas, H. (2009). A dialogical approach to the creation of new knowledge in organizations. Organization Science, 20 (6), 941–957. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1090.0435

Valkokari, K. (2015). Business, Innovation, and Knowledge Ecosystems: How They Differ and How to Survive and Thrive within Them. Technology Innovation Management Review, 5 (8), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/919

Wareham, J., Fox, P. B., & Giner, J. L. C. (2014). Technology ecosystem governance. Organization Science, 25 (4), 1195–1215. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2014.0895

Wu, S., & Lin, C. Y. (2019). Innovation and entrepreneurship in an educational ecosystem: Cases from Taiwan. New York: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9445-5

Published

12.12.2025

How to Cite

Kulkova И. А., & Masalova Ю. А. . (2025). Evaluating the Quality of Human Resources in a Regional Scientific and Educational Ecosystem . Economy of Regions, 21(4), 1155–1171. https://doi.org/10.17059/ekon.reg.2025-4-16

Issue

Section

Social Development of Regions