This study presents an original behavioral simulation designed to explore how different decision architectures affect cooperation and problem-solving in innovation ecosystems. Grounded in a behavioral reinterpretation of the Triple Helix model (Viale & Cucchiarini, forthcoming), the simulation replicates a collaborative innovation challenge involving key actors from academia, enterprise, and the public sector.

Undergraduate Economics students are assigned to three-member teams, with each member representing one of the Triple Helix actors. Within this simulated setting, participants are tasked with co-designing an innovation project through structured deliberation and negotiation.

The simulation is conducted under three experimental conditions:
- A standard complex scenario reflecting typical institutional frictions;
- A behaviorally informed interface incorporating salience cues, nudge strategies, and a sludge audit to reduce cognitive and procedural frictions;
- A decision-boosting environment that scaffolds adaptive use of biases and heuristics to support effective judgment.

Pilot data—available by the time of the conference—are expected to show that behaviorally optimized decision environments foster higher levels of trust, coordination, and creativity among participants, leading to more feasible and innovative project proposals.

Beyond its empirical insights, the simulation offers strong educational value. It enhances students’ skills in adaptive decision-making, institutional perspective-taking, and heuristic literacy, preparing them to navigate complex multi-stakeholder environments in innovation policy and entrepreneurship.

This research bridges behavioral science and innovation education, demonstrating how experiential learning and decision-environment design can improve students’ readiness to engage with real-world policy and entrepreneurial challenges, within the framework of the Behavioral Triple Helix.

Acknowledgement:
This project was carried out within the MUSA (Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action) project, funded by the European Union–NextGenerationEU.

Keywords: Behavioral Triple Helix, behavioral design, innovation education, bounded rationality, decision environment, simulation game.