Governance logics and government–industry–university collaboration: Comparative evidence from Singapore and Helsinki

Abstract

This study examines how distinct governance logics shape government–industry–university (GIU) collaboration in smart city development. Drawing on the Triple Helix Model of Innovation and Collaborative Governance Theory, it compares Singapore’s state-oriented innovation framework and Helsinki’s networked and participatory governance model. Findings show that Singapore’s governance emphasizes strategic alignment, policy coherence, and coordinated implementation across sectors, whereas Helsinki’s approach highlights iterative experimentation, stakeholder inclusiveness, and citizen engagement. The comparison demonstrates that GIU collaboration operates differently across governance systems but serves as a common mechanism for aligning diverse institutional resources. The study concludes that effective innovation governance depends on balancing coordination capacity and reflexive adaptability, offering insights for developing hybrid models that integrate coherence with participatory experimentation.

Document Type: Original article

Cited as:

Zhu, H. L., Yi, X., & Liu, Y. C. (2025).Governance logics and government–industry–university collaboration: Comparative evidence from Singapore and Helsinki. Education and Lifelong Development Research, 2(3): 146-155. https://doi.org/10.46690/elder.2025.03.05

References

Agency for Science, Technology and Research Singapore. (2019, July). Smart city innovation: A*STAR & ST Engineering sign MoU. 

Anttila, J., & Jussila, K. (2018). Universities and smart cities: The challenges to high quality. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 29(9–10), 1058–1073.

Anttiroiko, A. V. (2016). City-as-a-platform: The rise of participatory innovation platforms in Finnish cities. Sustainability, 8(9), 922.

Anttiroiko, A. V. (2023). Smart circular cities: Governing the relationality, spatiality, and digitality in the promotion of circular economy in an urban region. Sustainability, 15(17), 12680.

Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571.

Chong, A. (2021). Smart city, small state: Singapore’s ambitions and contradictions in digital transnational connectivity. Journal of International Affairs, 74(1), 243–260.

City of Helsinki. (2021, May). Industry and innovation.

City of Helsinki. (2021, September). City strategy 2021–2025: A place of growth and good life.

City of Helsinki. (2022, May). Innovation fund.

City of Helsinki. (2022, June). Innovation fund supports innovation and promotes new growth-oriented business – application is now open.

City of Helsinki. (2024, January). Safer traffic through innovations.

City of Helsinki. (2025, March). Helsinki is a city-sized testbed for new innovations.

Dinata, C., Suryono, A., Noor, I., & Said, A. (2024). The development of hybrid governance: A bibliometric-based systematic literature review. Nanotechnology Perceptions, 20(5), 104–127.

Emerson, K., & Nabatchi, T. (2015). Collaborative governance regimes. Georgetown University Press.

Emerson, K., Nabatchi, T., & Balogh, S. (2012). An integrative framework for collaborative governance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 22(1), 1–29.

Etzkowitz, H., & Leydesdorff, L. (2000). The dynamics of innovation: From national systems and “Mode 2” to a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations. Research Policy, 29(2), 109–123.

Fiksu Kalasatama. (2015, August). Smart Kalasatama: Smart city district of Helsinki.

Flanagan, K., Uyarra, E., & Laranja, M. (2011). Reconceptualising the ‘policy mix’ for innovation. Research Policy, 40(5), 702–713.

Forum Virium Helsinki. (2021, November). Kalasatama has become known for agile pilots: The final report on the Smart Kalasatama project summarises the results of this long-term work.

Forum Virium Helsinki. (2021, November). Sharing experiences from Smart Kalasatama: A district as experimentation platform.

Forum Virium Helsinki. (2025, September). Better services and a smarter city with data.

Gemein, O. G., Niemi-Hugaerts, H., Sanchez, L., Ziegler, S., & Miteva, S. M. (2024). Smart cities. In S. Ziegler, R. Radócz, A. Quesada Rodriguez, & S. N. Matheu Garcia (Eds.), Springer handbook of Internet of Things (pp. 523–554). Springer.

Hartley, K., Woo, J. J., & Chung, S. K. (2018). Urban innovation policy in the post-developmental era: Lessons from Singapore and Seoul. Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, 5(3), 599–614.

Helsinki Smart Region. (2025). Rankings.

Ho, E. (2017). Smart subjects for a smart nation? Governing (smart) mentalities in Singapore. Urban Studies, 54(13), 3101–3118.

Huang, L. T., & Villari, B. (2020). Co-creation in circular cities: A design perspective. Discern: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 2(1), 69–88.

Jiang, H. (2021). Smart urban governance in the ‘smart’ era: Why is it urgently needed? Cities, 111, 103004.

Jiang, H., Geertman, S., & Witte, P. (2022). Smart urban governance: An alternative to technocratic “smartness”. GeoJournal, 87, 1639–1655.

Kitchin, R. (2014). The real-time city? Big data and smart urbanism. GeoJournal, 79(1), 1–14.

Kuhlmann, S., & Rip, A. (2018). Next generation innovation policy and grand challenges. Science and Public Policy, 45(4), 448–454.

Lazarevic, D., Mokkila, S., Kivimaa, P., Lukkarinen, J., & Toppinen, A. (2024). Municipal experimental policy engagements in the built environment. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 52, 100888.

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. (2018, November). Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative: A policy and organisational perspective.

Lim, D. Y. M. (2019, July). Bringing data into the heart of digital government. In C. K. Ng (Ed.), ETHOS (Issue 21, pp. 42–53). Civil Service College.

Loke, H. Y., Chia, Y. T., & Gopinathan, S. (2017). Hybridity, the developmental state and globalisation: The case of Singapore’s universities. Studies in Higher Education, 42(10), 1887–1898.

Meijer, A., & Bolívar, M. P. R. (2016). Governing the smart city: A review of the literature on smart urban governance. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(2), 392–408.

Ministry of Digital Development and Information Singapore. (2024, October). Smart Nation 2.0: A thriving digital future for all.

Mukherjee, I., & Ho, D. (2025). Data and digitalization in energy efficiency policy design: The case of Singapore. In S. Giest, B. Klievink, A. Ingrams, & M. Matthew (Eds.), In Handbook on governance and data science (pp. 93–108). Edward Elgar.

Nanyang Technological University. (2018, July). Surbana Jurong, NTU and NRF launch S$61 million joint corporate laboratory to develop sustainable urban and industrial solutions. 

National Research Foundation Singapore. (2025, October). National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore.

Pan, Z. (2016). State-led innovation partnerships: Asian developmental states within the Triple Helix paradigm. European Journal of East Asian Studies, 15(1), 108–143.

Prime Minister’s Office Singapore. (2014, November). PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Smart Nation launch. (in Chinese)

Raven, R., Sengers, F., Spaeth, P., Xie, L., Cheshmehzangi, A., & De Jong, M. (2019). Urban experimentation and institutional arrangements. European Planning Studies, 27(2), 258–281.

Rogge, K. S., & Reichardt, K. (2016). Policy mixes for sustainability transitions: An extended concept and framework for analysis. Research Policy, 45(8), 1620–1635.

Sayún, N. (2020). Decoding Smart Kalasatama: Design research to evaluate the social impact of a smart city. Aalto University.

Selada, C. (2017). Smart cities and the quadruple helix innovation systems conceptual framework: The case of Portugal. In S. de Oliveira Monteiro, & E. Carayannis (Eds.), The quadruple innovation helix nexus. Palgrave Macmillan.

Shamsuzzoha, A., Nieminen, J., Piya, S., & Rutledge, K. (2021). Smart city for sustainable environment: A comparison of participatory strategies from Helsinki, Singapore and London. Cities, 114, 103194.

Singtel. (2023, December). Singtel first to successfully trial 5G RedCap technology for IoT devices in Singapore.

Smart Kalasatama. (2015, August). Agile piloting programme.

Smart Nation Singapore. (2025, October). Our achievements.

Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2011). Enhancing collaborative innovation in the public sector. Administration & Society, 43(8), 842–868.

Spilling, K., & Rinne, J. (2020). Pocket book for agile piloting: Facilitating co-creative experimentation. Forum Virium Helsinki.

University of Helsinki. (2025). Research – Helsinki Institute of Urban and Regional Studies.

Venkat, R., Divagar, T., Luo, T., & Tan, H. P. (2014). Participatory sensing for government-centric applications: A Singapore case study. Institute for Infocomm Research, A*STAR.

Woo, J. J. (2018, May). Technology and governance in Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative. Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School.

Woo, J. J. (2018). The evolution of the Asian developmental state: Hong Kong and Singapore. Routledge.

Woods, O., Chang, I. C. C., & Shin, H. (2025). Remaking the smart city through the COVID-19 pandemic: Seoul, Singapore, Taipei. Applied Geography, 184, 103773.

Zhuang, T., Oh, M., & Kimura, K. (2025). Modernizing higher education with industrial forces in Asia: A comparative study of discourse of university–industry collaboration in China, Japan and Singapore. Asia Pacific Education Review, 26, 195–210.