Investigating the Relation between the University, Industry and Government in the Innovation System of the Knowledge-Based Economy in Iran

The research aims to study the status of Iran in the sub-index of innovation as the main indicator of the knowledge economy and to assess the interactions of the university, industry and government in the research and innovation system of the country. This research takes advantage of the World Bank Knowledge Assessment Methodology (KAM) framework to measure the sub-index of innovation and Triple-Helix model to investigate the relationship between university, industry and government in one of the variables of the innovation system. For that purpose, the World Bank's formula for Knowledge Economy Index was employed to measure the sub-index of innovation in Iran's economy from 1996 to 2016. The results of the computation of the innovation sub-index indicate a stable growth in that area for Iran. Subsequently, the Triple-Helix model was used to evaluate the university, industry, and government interactions, illustrating a small contribution of the industrial sector in the country's research areas. The study showed that despite the growth of the innovation index, the interactions of the innovation system components are not desirable and require targeted investment and focused planning strategy.