Digital universities in knowledge creation and transfer: An institutional model for innovation infrastructure in the digital economy

Abstract

Type of the article: Research ArticleThe rapid digital transformation of universities and the expansion of the digital economy require new approaches to organizing knowledge creation and transfer within innovation infrastructure. This study aims to develop and substantiate an institutional model of innovation infrastructure in the digital economy that conceptualizes digital universities as key actors in knowledge creation and transfer. The research is conceptual and methodological and is based on systematic analysis, structural-functional modeling, elements of graph theory, and quantitative modeling. The proposed model interprets the innovation potential of an actor through the proportional interaction of three complementary components: access to knowledge content, technological provision, and competencies. A weakness in any component may constrain overall innovation potential even when the others are well developed. Illustrative model-based calculations demonstrate this relationship rather than provide empirically verified results. The graph-based representation conceptualizes digital universities as integration hubs coordinating resource flows among innovation actors. The model identifies four interrelated structural blocks of innovation infrastructure: resource and potential, regulatory and technological, methodological, and institutional-managerial. These blocks support the identification of bottlenecks in knowledge creation and transfer and indicate directions for more balanced resource interaction. The study concludes that the effectiveness of innovation infrastructure depends on the proportional development of knowledge content, technologies, and competencies, with digital universities performing a central coordinating function. The proposed approach provides a conceptual and methodological basis for further empirical research on digital universities in innovation ecosystems.Acknowledgment The study did not receive any special funding from the government, commercial, or non-profit organizations. The author would like to thank colleagues for their professional comments and academic support during the study. The statements expressed in the article are solely the responsibility of the author.