Industry and Higher Education

This article first identifies the principal forces that impact on and shape entrepreneurially-oriented higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa, and then analyses the degree to which those institutions have succeeded in becoming entrepreneurial. The results reveal that South Africa's HEIs are still in the initial phases of entrepreneurial development. This is attributable largely to factors particular to a developing country in a social transformational phase and faced with restricted social and economic capital.

In a knowledge-driven economy there is a growing need for deeper and more productive interaction between higher education and industry. The full exploitation of knowledge requires strategies, incentives, appropriate systems and strong interaction between the transfer processes and the main processes in higher education. In a knowledge-based economy, knowledge is more likely to be created if there is collaboration on the potential applications. In such a knowledge creation process, the creation, dissemination and utilization of knowledge are carried out in quick succession or even simultaneously. Also, basic research and applied research can no longer be separated. Knowledge creation is, in many cases, achieved through long-term partnerships based on trust, commitment and mutual benefit. This paper explores ways of supporting and creating entrepreneurial activity in higher education. It studies the case of Satakunta University of Applied Sciences in Finland.

The research discussed in this paper explores the impact of a higher education initiative targeted at developing entrepreneurial capability and encouraging student technology venturing activity in Northern Ireland. The initiative in question is the £25,000 enterprise competition run by the Northern Ireland Centre for Entrepreneurship (NICENT). The authors report the outcomes of exploratory survey-based research to establish the competition's impact on participants and its contribution to the development of positive attitudes towards technology transfer and enterprise by aspiring, would-be new venturers.

New stakeholders and new roles for old stakeholders have emerged with the development of entrepreneurial universities. A new systemic framework is therefore required which includes these various stakeholders and their goals and thus gives a clear picture of the process of entrepreneurship encouragement and business development support (EE&BDS). The authors propose a model for knowledge transfer and company growth in the context of entrepreneurial universities and science parks. This integrative approach to the roles of the different stakeholders, activities, tools, goals and needs facilitates the arrangement and management of the EE&BDS process. The authors describe and assess their EE&BDS model, presenting the case of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the science park linked to it, the Polytechnic City of Innovation (CPI). The analysis identifies the roles of and relationships among the UPV-CPI stakeholders and shows how this integrative approach can enhance the EE&BDS process for the institution.

It is becoming increasing clear that a new industry – the entrepreneurship industry – is in the ascendant and that universities are a part of this development. Furthermore, the idea of the entrepreneurial university has only recently entered the debate. Promoting the entrepreneurship agenda within constituencies where it is not traditionally acknowledged is a peculiar challenge that requires the adoption and adaptation of traditional selling approaches (‘valorisation mechanisms’), mindful that the product on offer (‘entrepreneurship’) is a service. Via three case studies, the role of universities in this new industry and the role of academic entrepreneurship are highlighted.