Resumo

Innovative entrepreneurship has gained prominence in literature and practice as a means of promoting the economic development of regions, especially in emerging economies (Castro, Soares, Moreira & Silva, 2023; Guimarães & Gimenez, 2021; Pradhan, Arvin, Nair & Bennett, 2020; Qianyue, 2023). A field gaining prominence in entrepreneurship research is the role of governments in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Public policies can help develop entrepreneurship at the regional level through actions that strengthen the regional ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation.

There is still considerable room in the literature to clarify how public policies can specifically contribute to fostering the creation and development of entrepreneurial ecosystems in the early stages of their evolutionary cycle the objective. It is necessary to investigate how these government efforts have been directed toward regions in developing countries that still have nascent innovative entrepreneurship ecosystems. The objective of this research is to understand how a spark public policy promotes the initial development of a regional entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

By fostering knowledge spillovers, providing robust institutional support, and creating conducive environments for entrepreneurship, regions can drive innovation, economic growth, and resilience (Qian & Acs, 2023). The integration of entrepreneurial activities into regional development strategies not only supports economic objectives but also contributes to social and environmental sustainability (Wagner et al., 2021). Entrepreneurial ecosystems, therefore, offer a foundation for creating value for regional development, highlighting the importance of collaboration among the triple helix.

The research object involved actors, such as researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurs, that participated in the Economic Clusters of Innovation Program (ECIP), a public innovation policy linked to the government of the state of Ceará, based on a joint action of the secretaries of the government. The data collection procedures took place using research instruments, which were represented by primary and secondary data, publications, semi-structured interviews. For the data analysis of the research, codifications were performed based on emerging concepts based on Gioia et al. (2013) approach.

From the analyses conducted in this study, we conclude that the main benefits generated by the program were related to the knowledge spillovers created, the connections established between Triple Helix actors, the fostering of entrepreneurial orientation for researchers, and the accumulated learning by the participating startups. Based on the experience of the PCEI Program, we have outlined the above analytical framework with the steps followed by the program to move the initial seeds of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, starting from this Spark Policy.

This research allowed for the analysis of how synergies between public, academic, and business institutions can be leveraged to promote innovation, foster entrepreneurship, and drive regional development. Additionally, the research provides empirical data to evaluate the implemented policy, helping to adjust strategies and actions to maximize positive impacts. Understanding these dynamics can also reveal best practices and specific challenges of different regions, offering a valuable guide for policymakers and stakeholders in promoting nascent entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Brown, R., & Mason, C. (2017). Looking inside the spiky bits: a critical review and conceptualisation of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Small Business Economics, 49, 11-30. Cho, D. S., Ryan, P., & Buciuni, G. (2022). Evolutionary entrepreneurial ecosystems: A research pathway. Small Business Economics, 58(4), 1865-1883. Stam, E., & Van de Ven, A. (2021). Entrepreneurial ecosystem elements. Small Business Economics, 56(2), 809-832. Wurth, B., Stam, E., & Spigel, B. (2022). Toward an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Research Program. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 46(3), 729–778.