Repositioning Regional University College Amidst the Green Transition: The Case of Pärnu County, Estonia

Abstract

This chapter investigates how a regional innovation ecosystem in a peripheral, late-adopting context can be reconfigured to support a green transition, drawing on an analysis of Pärnu County, Estonia. The role of a regional college as a knowledge intermediary is assessed, as is the emergence of KOBAR, a decentralised and actor-driven innovation platform designed to support the development of a green transition path. The study highlights the tensions between national policy, foreign investment and regional priorities, offering a situated account of institutional adaptation and networked university consortia serving transition bundles instead of knowledge specialisation on breakthrough projects. It contributes to debates on innovation in lagging regions by emphasising contextual governance and knowledge brokerage under ad hoc changes of priorities.