Ecosystem of innovative environments of the territory: additional education and entrepreneurship

In the article, based on part of the conclusions of a qualitative study of the acceleration infrastructure of universities and the concept of social ecosystems, the hypothesis of the concept of innovative environments in the region is formulated. Starting from the organizational weakness of small and medium-sized businesses, the secondary nature of the acceleration infrastructure of universities, and its incorrect orientation to “entrepreneurship” with mandatory access to startups, the structural insufficiency of the innovation environment of the region is stated. The solution to this problem is supposed to be within the framework of the formation of the socio-technical infrastructure of the ecosystem of innovative environments that ensure the continuity of training, education, research and project activities, and the employment of students. Based on the idea of the role of organizational infrastructure in the functioning of socio-cultural communities or environments, as well as on the changes resulting from the “digital” nature of this infrastructure, the main features of the regional innovation ecosystem are conceptualized. It is an organizational and meaningful association of existing subjects of innovative activity, the core of which is the education system (school - college - university), around which a platform of “additional education” is formed with the participation ofbusiness and scientific institutions as the main “consumers” of graduates. The cell of the environment is a small working group of students under the mentorship of a teacher, which undergoes a variable design and research trajectory under the supervision of “consumers”. The event part of the environment necessarily includes not only project and educational work directly but also a cultural and leisure component. The problem of using the results of research and development is supposed to be solved by either bringing groups into the space of existing business ecosystems (technoparks, etc.) or by using the institute of venture studios acting as operators of such sites. Such an ecosystem should be a universal educational space organized by a “package of services” and included in the “package of social services” of the territory, the variability of which is provided by the function of participating “consumers”, as well as a combination of educational, research, cultural, and leisure programs. The testing of the provisions laid down was carried out in the spring and summer of 2023 during the competitive program of the Innovation Promotion Fund.