The STInno project, which was part of the EU Framework Programme 7 aimed to minimise thedistance between south–north regions in Europe with a specific focus on wastewater treatmentclusters. Three triple helix collaborations from three different countries participated, using theirknowledge to work on a case study of olive mill wastewaters. The objective of this paper was tostudy how the triple helix functioned in practice. Results showed that a management model of thetriple helix is somewhat different from the analytical model. A shift between these two viewsoccurred during the project and the participants had to relate to this, as it had an effect onthe outcomes. Concepts of social capital and trust are used to further elaborate on this byemphasising the importance of the people side of the triple helix and how the original, analyticalmodel can be limiting when used in management practice.

Cross-sector interactions between university and other sectors are increasingly important to contemporary knowledge production. However, there are few guidelines for conducting such interactions at the micro-level of actor or research group. The aim of this study was to provide a better understanding of cross-sector collaboration by drawing upon the theory of knowledge boundaries. The main author worked as an action researcher, specifically an interactive researcher, within an environmental research group that was focused on solving on-site industry wastewater issues. Using this approach, we created arenas for dialogue between sectors. During this three-year European Union project, built on three years of previous research, there was an increased demand for the group to develop applied results and to interact with other sectors. Thus, the researchers were challenged to cross boundaries and share their knowledge with partners outside academia. We argue that difficulties are encountered when crossing information process-oriented, cultural, and political boundaries. These difficulties are related to the move between Mode 1 and Mode 2 of knowledge production and the triple helix approach. Solutions to these issues were solved, in part, by the use of boundary spanners and boundary management.