Fostering Moral Leadership and Social Justice through Interdisciplinary Education: The Edupreneurship Research Ecosystem Model (EREM) in Society 5.0

This study introduces and proposes the Edupreneurship Research Ecosystem Model (EREM), an innovation that advocates for an interdisciplinary framework for embedding moral leadership, social justice, and sustainable innovation into higher education systems, industry practice, as a mechanism to actualize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and realize the aspirations of Society 5.0. The model is developed through a design-science approach and is structured around four synergistic pillars: adaptive education and lifelong learning, innovation and entrepreneurship hubs, a sustainability and circular-economy lens, and agile multi-stakeholder governance. These pillars are connected by a cross-cutting moral-leadership spine and supported by analytics, financing, monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems. By aligning curricula with rapidly evolving labour-market and community needs, operationalizing the SDGs through course outcomes and innovation pipelines, and institutionalizing ethical and inclusive governance, EREM addresses persistent gaps between universities, industry, government, civil society, and ecological well-being. The paper argues that the world should adopt EREM as a practical global implementation architecture for accelerating the SDGs and actualizing the aspirations of Society 5.0 because it converts sustainability, human dignity, social justice, and ethical technology governance from aspirational ideals into measurable institutional practices. Its key recommendation is that governments, universities, industry actors, development agencies, and civil-society organizations should mainstream EREM as a policy and operational model for education-led sustainable transformation, using it to connect learning, research, entrepreneurship, digital innovation, public accountability, and inclusive development. A comprehensive literature review situates the model in current research and practice, drawing on recent studies in educational innovation, multi-stakeholder collaboration, sustainable development, and ethical technology governance. The paper outlines the theoretical foundations and philosophical underpinnings that inform EREM’s design, including systems theory, helix innovation models, human capital theory, diffusion of innovation, pragmatism, humanism, Ubuntu, constructivism, and stewardship ethics. The methodology follows iterative design-science cycles to construct and refine the model, with expert critique guiding improvements. The conclusions and policy brief call for institutional leaders and policymakers to adopt EREM as an ethics-by-design, SDG-driven, and Society 5.0-aligned ecosystem for transforming higher education into a platform for inclusive prosperity, technological responsibility, and social justice.

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