Designing an Innovative University Model in the Framework of the Innovation Ecosystem in Iran

The purpose of this study was to design an innovative university model in the context of the innovation ecosystem in Iran and to identify the components of the innovation ecosystem and innovative universities. The methodology of the research was grounded theory. The statistical population of this study was all faculty members of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Institute of Research and Planning of Higher Education, managers and experts of the Organization of Scientific and Industrial Researches of Iran, managers and experts of small industries and industrial towns of Iran, Members of the Association of Industrial and University Professors, experts, directors and faculty members were members of the offices related to university and industry, innovation and technology at the State Technical Schools, Azad University and Farhangian universities, and the Center for Scientific Research and Policy. The purpose of the sampling was to reach the theoretical saturation limit. The interviewees were selected through a snowball method using semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the results was done by the qualitative researcher and the content analysis of the interviews and three-step coding based on the Grounded Theory (GT) using the software MAXQDA in order to designed and analyze the model.