INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE-BASED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN MEDICAL AND HEALTH INNOVATIVE ECOSYSTEM ON INHIBITING THE COVID-19 VIRUS OUTBREAK CRISIS

Knowledge-based businesses active in the medical and health innovative ecosystem play an important role in inhibiting the Covid-19 virus outbreak crisis. The current study deals
with extracting and analyzing the key aspects of medical innovative eco-system and the role of
innovative intermediaries in supporting the development of these businesses.
Materials & Methods: In terms of purpose, this study is developmental – applied, in terms of data
collection, it is descriptive and survey and in terms of the origin of collected data, it is a mixed study
(both quantitative and qualitative).The research tool for quantitative data collection was interview and
qualitative data collection tool was a questionnaire created by the researchers themselves. In qualitative
part, data-based method with the Glaserian approach (emergent and spontaneous) was used and in
qualitative part structural equations and SMART-PLS3 software were used. The population of this study
was faculty members of university of medical science (as experts) and CEOs and personnel of
knowledge-based and technology-based companies that are active in medical innovative eco-system of
Western Azerbaijan province, from which a sample of 162 subjects was chosen on the basis of Cochran
formula.
Results: Significance level and path coefficients of the structural model obtained from the analysis,
approves the impact of ecosystem variables and developing knowledge-based businesses in controlling
the Covid-19 virus outbreak crisis.
Conclusion: Meanwhile, the research results emphasize the role of universities and innovative
intermediaries of medical innovative eco-system, which shows that “cultural and social” and “scientific
and technological” aspects have the maximum effect in the development of knowledge-based businesses
and innovative actions in Covid-19 virus control