Academic Moral Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Translation to Turn Crises Into Opportunities: The Case of VeniSIA

Crises generate disruptions, but they can also foster the development of academic moral entrepreneurship when the stakeholders’ engagement is obtained. In this paper, we present how knowledge translation was used to create stakeholder engagement in the academic moral entrepreneurship case of the Venice Sustainability Innovation Accelerator (VeniSIA), an accelerator for sustainable business ventures developed by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy. The extraordinary floods of 2019 and the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the survival of the unique city of Venice, which was experiencing a decay crisis that seemed endless. However, the university functioned as a moral entrepreneur, rule enforcer, and catalyst to promote a greater common good. In a three-phase process, dedicated knowledge translation tools were adopted to commit various stakeholders from different ecosystems (academics, innovators, partners, and institutions) to align their goals to save the heritage of the city and ensure its sustainable future. This paper sheds new light on the university’s third mission and the potential yet decisive role of universities and researchers to foster conversations among meaningful stakeholders on topical issues that can shape the future of local and global communities.