Abstract
The idea of the ‘entrepreneurial university’ has captured the imagination of academics and policy makers for some time now. However, most of the recent writings on the subject have tended to emphasize technology transfer in terms of spin-off creation and licensing. This article takes its point of departure in the strategy formulations of Swedish public universities to inquire into the varieties of university entrepreneurialism, that is the breadth of the spectrum from short- to medium-term capitalization from innovation, to social outreach and organizational cultural change. The study builds on a qualitative content analysis of strategy documents which explicates and discusses ongoing and planned third mission activities – including commercialization and outreach – at Swedish universities. The strategy categories derived from this study include (1) support infrastructures for commercialization, (2) internal knowledge building and cultural change, and (3) outreach and sectoral cooperative activities, as well as eight subcategories. The article contributes an explication and a discussion of these categories, and concludes with a number of issues relating to the way universities may develop these strategic dimensions given the conflicting or ambiguous goals present in the notion of the entrepreneurial university.