A Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Model For A Sustainable Innovation Ecosystem in The Silk Industry of South Sulawesi

Abstract

South Sulawesi has long been recognized as Indonesia's leading centre of natural silk (persuteraan alam) production, yet the sector continues to face stagnating productivity, fragmented institutional support, and weak coordination among its stakeholders. This conceptual paper develops a multi-stakeholder innovation ecosystem model for sustainable silk industry development in South Sulawesi by synthesising literature on innovation ecosystems, helix-based collaboration theory, and regional sericulture studies. Employing a qualitative literature-synthesis method, the paper integrates the Quintuple Helix framework with innovation-ecosystem governance theory to propose a collaborative structure involving government, academia, industry, farming communities, and civil society/media, embedded within the natural environment as a fifth helix. The model positions coordinated governance, inter-actor trust, and role clarity as prerequisites for ecosystem maturation. The paper contributes a theoretical framework intended for future empirical validation and offers policy directions for revitalising South Sulawesi's silk value chain toward greater sustainability, cultural preservation, and rural economic resilience.