European universities have three main tasks: education, research and service to the community. This last element of their mission is becoming more and more important, and the pressure on universities to engage in activities related to regional development is increasing. The creation of knowledge is not something that a university does in isolation: it is a process that depends on cooperation with others. The interaction of university with its region, and with industry based in the region, is vitally important. This introductory article sketches the background to this special issue of Industry and Higher Education, dedicated to the theme ‘The region and its university: European perspectives’.
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