Embedding innovation and community empowerment in higher education: Towards an integrated technology transfer model

Abstract

This study examines innovation downstreaming in higher education and proposes an Integrated Innovation Downstreaming (IID) framework that connects technological readiness, project-based learning, collaborative ecosystems, and community empowerment. Using a qualitative case study approach at a state university in Sumatra, Indonesia, data were collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews involving 24 stakeholders, including university administrators, lecturers, MSME actors, and community empowerment practitioners. The findings identify four major barriers within university innovation ecosystems to effective downstreaming: inaccurate Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment, fragmented institutional collaboration, workload imbalance within the Tri Dharma responsibilities, and misalignment between innovation products and user needs. The study demonstrates that sustainable technology transfer depends not only on technological maturity, but also on participatory validation, educational integration, and contextual adaptation. The proposed IID framework reconceptualizes downstreaming as a cyclical and pedagogically embedded innovation ecosystem linking universities, students, industries, and communities.