he present study was conducted with the aim of identifying the appropriate approach to evaluate the innovation system as one of the important pillars of the knowledge-based economy with a mixed research approach and collecting information in the form of documents and fieldwork in 1401. Therefore, first the different players of the innovation system in East Azerbaijan province were identified and then their roles in the functions of the innovation system were determined, then the legal institutions related to science and technology were reviewed and finally, based on the opinions of experts, the interactions between the different players of the system were evaluated. .
The results of evaluating the functions of the innovation system of East Azarbaijan Province, according to experts, indicate that all functions are below average. The highest score is related to the function of knowledge development and then entrepreneurial activities. The function of knowledge dissemination and sectorial legitimacy also have the least points. Also, the results of this study confirm that in some functions of the innovation system, such as guiding the search, disseminating knowledge, providing legitimacy, and forming the market, participation worthy of attention from the actors is not observed. Also, the results of the survey about the interactions indicate the weakness and absence of relations between the actors of the innovation system of Azerbaijan province.