Introduction: triple helix: a universal innovation model? Part I: The triple helix concept 1. A universal triple helix: Silicon Valley's secret 2. Triple helix in Civil Society 3. The entrepreneurial university in a triple helix 4. The firm in a triple helix 5. The optimum role of government Part II: The triple helix innovation model 6. Triple helix region 7. The incubation of innovation 8. Triple helix technopolis 9. Venture capital in the triple helix 10. Triple helix twins: balancing development and sustainability 11. Triple helix matrix Part III: Case studies 12. The triple helix in Silicon Valley 13. StartX: filling the gap in Stanford University's entrepreneurial development 14. A teaching university's civic entrepreneurship: Ashland Oregon theater cluster and renaissance as a humanities town 15. Innovation in innovation: an endless transition toward the triple helix

The triple helix of university-industry-government interactions is a universal model of the development of the knowledge-based society, through innovation and entrepreneurship. Triple helix, the secret of an innovative region, may also be found in Statist or Laissez-faire societies, globally.

The Triple Helix as a universal innovation model can assist students, researchers, managers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to understand the roles of university, industry, and government in forming and developing "an innovative region," which has self-renewal and sustainably innovative capacity.

Henry Etzkowitz is Visiting Lecturer of Science, Technology and Society, Stanford University, USA; Visiting Professor, Birkbeck, University of London, UK; CEO/President, International Triple Helix Institute (ITHI), Palo Alto, California, USA; President, Triple Helix Association (THA), Rome, Italy; and Distinguished Expert, Shandong Academy of Science, Jinan, China.

Chunyan Zhou is Director of International Triple Helix Institute (ITHI, www.triplehelix.net), USA; leading researcher, Institute of Science and Technology for Development of Shandong, and co-director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Center, Academy of Science, Jinan, China.