Home – Home – Jornals – Region: Economics and Sociology 2023 number 3

State policies increasingly focus on fostering an effective innovation ecosystem and promoting the sustainable growth of high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies. A critical aspect influencing these objectives is the urban environment, which serves as a primary interface for most companies. In this regard, the Smart City Initiative at the departmental level and the federal project “Formation of Comfortable Urban Environment" are striving to establish modern smart cities. Smart cities create a growing demand for high-tech products and knowledge-intensive services, consequently driving their supply. The establishment of a smart, comfortable, and technologically advanced environment, coupled with an openness to new technologies, acts as a catalyst for the emergence and expansion of high-tech companies, as well as the development of an effective innovation ecosystem. Smart cities also facilitate the creation of innovation exchange hubs such as technology parks, business incubators, etc. Moreover, the presence of numerous high-tech companies reinforces the utilization of digital technologies and the Internet of Things within the urban landscape. The technologies developed and implemented must be relevant and user-friendly for citizens. This research aims to assess the reciprocal influence between high-tech and knowledge-intensive companies (HT&KICs) and smart cities, building upon a modified triple helix model as the theoretical framework. Through econometric analysis, we have observed that in large cities with a high level of digitalization in the urban economy and environment, there exists a positive impact on the development of HT&KICs.