System Engineering and Productivity

System Engineering and Productivity

Analyzing Challenges in the Innovation Ecosystem of Zanjan Province: A Study of Knowledge-Based Companies in Science and Technology Parks

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Majeed Heydari 1
Sima Ghayebloo 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
2 Corresponding author: Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
10.22034/sep.2025.2065805.1353
Abstract
This study adopts a systematic approach to identify the key challenges facing Knowledge-Based Companies (KBCs) and provide a comprehensive analysis of the current and desired states across three levels: KBCs, Science and Technology Parks (STPs), and innovation ecosystem actors. To achieve this, a structured questionnaire based on 40 Key challenges was designed and randomly distributed among 58 KBCs located in the STPs of Zanjan Province. Managers' perceptions were collected and analyzed regarding their satisfaction with the current state and the importance of each challenge to their success. A t-test revealed a statistically significant gap between the current and desired states across all three levels. Further analysis indicated that at the KBC level, managers tended to overestimate their own capabilities with more than 85% believing their companies were performing above 70%. In contrast, they rated the current performance of the STPs below 55% and the performance of ecosystem actors below 34%. This highlights a strong external attribute of failure among managers. The main challenges at the STPs level were identified as lack of financial support, and inadequate infrastructure. At the ecosystem level, the leading issues were the unclear roles of responsible organizations (78%) and insufficient cooperation and support from them (74%). In conclusion, the following are recommended: (1) enhancing the awareness and innovative capabilities of companies; (2) improving infrastructure and the governance quality of STPs; and (3) clarifying the roles of different actors and the coordination mechanisms among them. These findings can contribute to improving policymaking quality and strengthening KBCs.

Highlights

  • Systematic identification of challenges faced by KBCs
  • Assessment of satisfaction with the current situation and the perceived importance of challenges
  • Comprehensive gap analysis of current vs. desired states
  • Identification and prioritization of improvement opportunities

Keywords
Innovation ecosystem
Challenges of knowledge-based companies
Science and technology parks
Innovation actors
Zanjan Province
Subjects

Copyright © Majeed Heydari, Sima Ghayebloo

 

License

This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone is free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this article for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial, as long as proper citation is given to the authors and original publication.

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  • Receive Date 14 July 2025
  • Revise Date 17 August 2025
  • Accept Date 23 August 2025
  • First Publish Date 23 August 2025
  • Publish Date 22 May 2026