An Assessment of Regional and Urban Innovation Systems in Colombia

This study examines the efficiency of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) and Urban Innovation Systems (UIS) in Colombia using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and identifies their main determinants within the framework of the Triple Helix model of innovation. We evaluate how regions and cities transform R&D investment and skilled labor into innovation outputs, including patent activity and scientific publications. The results reveal substantial heterogeneity in innovation efficiency, with a pronounced polarization between highly efficient and low-performing territories. Panel data estimations show that regions with a stronger presence of high-quality universities and higher business density achieve significantly higher efficiency levels. Institutional factors also matter: greater judicial efficiency is positively associated with innovation performance at both the regional and urban levels, while higher job satisfaction enhances innovation efficiency particularly in urban systems. These findings highlight the importance of combining academic capacity, entrepreneurial dynamics, and institutional quality to strengthen territorial innovation performance in developing economies.