Commitment to Non-commitment: The Role of a Foundation in Configuring a Cross-sector Collaborative Space

Cross-sector collaborative spaces have been suggested to provide a way of organising collaboration between the public, private, and third sector to address so-called grand challenges. However, due to the complexity and uncertainty of grand challenges, establishing collaborative spaces is associated with considerable risks. Innovation policy scholars disagree whether public or third sector organisations are better suited to take these risks. Based on the case of Copenhagen-based BLOXHUB, this paper investigates the role of a third sector organisation in interweaving actors across sectors to configure a collaborative space in the field of sustainable urban development.