Bridging Academics’ Roles in Knowledge Diffusion in Sustainability‐Driven Public–Private Partnerships: A Case Study of the SDGs Workshop in Central Japan

Abstract

This article discusses the role of academics in knowledge diffusion among various stake-holders using a case study of a sustainability‐oriented workshop to address issues of a local forest in central Japan. This research employs thematic analysis through interpreted data from documents, minutes of meetings, workshop interactions among stakeholders, debriefing sessions, question-naires, and fieldwork findings of participants in a regional business school. The findings show that Bridging Academics (BAs) have effectively facilitated knowledge diffusion amongst global, national and local stakeholder clusters. The interactions among workshop stakeholders resulted in outcomes that enhanced awareness of knowledge gaps, fostered effective communication, enabled knowledge extension, and created shared values. The study contributes towards the understanding of academ-ics’ roles in collaborative settings for sustainability and suggests a multi‐node knowledge link model as a collaborative mechanism for knowledge diffusion. The study suggests implications for stake-holders and provides a use case relevant to sustainability‐based regional development.