Triple Helix Twins and university impact spillovers for achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals

Abstract This study provides evidence of impact spillovers between universities and the startups with which they collaborate. Using survey data from 366 startups across six Australian states collected through the Australian Startup Muster Survey, we find a positive association between the sustainability performance of universities and the number of sustainability goals adopted by their startup partners. This relationship is particularly pronounced in traditionally non-sustainability-oriented industries, suggesting that universities can address institutional voids for sustainability through impact spillovers. Our findings advance the understanding of how triple-helix interactions contribute to sustainability-oriented goals and highlight the importance of multi-actor configurations in driving sustainability transitions. This study contributes to the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship by extending it to sustainable goals. We conclude by outlining implications for policy and future research aimed at capturing the dynamic, causal, and networked dimensions of university–startup collaborations for sustainable development.