Innovative investment models for sustainable and inclusive urban innovation ecosystems

February 2020

Key objective: To help public institutions mobilise private sector liquidity and expertise for investments in innovation districts.

Project summary: Innovation districts are both Research and Innovation and real estate projects. They are of great interest for both public authorities, and public or private investors.

Innovation districts are centres of knowledge production, innovation and new business creation, often embedded in the urban fibre and display a tremendous potential to foster urban transformation.

They are also powerful magnets capable of attracting private investment through the opportunities they offer in real estate, infrastructure and early stage investment.

Beyond monitoring returns linked to the real estate component, much broader value generation phenomena can be observed in innovation district which leads to economic and social benefits. This study looks at how to capture these dimensions and dynamics in an integrated financial model.

The goal is to develop a model that can inform investment strategies of both public and private investors and increase the pool of resources and expertise available to support the creation and operation of innovation districts as engines of urban transformation and sustainable and inclusive growth.

Contact: Kaia Kert, Competence Centre for Technology Transfer, JRC