From ‘entrepreneurial’ to ‘engaged’ universities: social innovation for regional development in the Global South

Abstract

Regional roles of universities in the Global South have been under-explored, and it is not clear how relevant are concepts originating from the Global North when applied in this context. The paper interrogates the concept of the 'entrepreneurial university' and its regional impact and engagement via a case study in Brazil. It is found that, in addition to purely entrepreneurial and economic activities and roles, initiatives relating to social innovation and entrepreneurship to solve profound regional problems are a key part of the university's work.

Entrepreneurial ecosystem: Analysis of the contribution of universities in the creation of technology-based firms

“…As a suggestion for future research, it is recommended that the research include other aspects of the ecosystem, as factors influencing the formation of technology-based firms, increasing understanding about the interaction of universities and other ecosystem actors. Furthermore, consider the insertion of entrepreneurial universities in national regional contexts (Thomas & Pugh, 2020), reinforcing Brazilian regional differences and the formulation -and impacts -of innovations in society (Carayannis & Rakhmatullin, 2014). For future work, it is also recommended to increase the number of TBF studied, which will enable a better understanding about the participation of the university in the formation of technologybased firms.…”

“…Following the steps of this change, support for academic and entrepreneurial actions has grown in the last decade, attracting the attention of several government agents in an attempt to encourage partnerships to raise levels of innovation (Etzkowitz, 2004;Etzkowitz, 2016;Thomas & Pugh, 2020;Tornatzky & Rideout, 2014), but without making them subject to industry or a "general purpose shopping center" (Clark, 2001, p. 10). Recent discussions point to the need for the university to interact with other actors, such as civil society, and to promote causes of common interest, such as those related to environmental preservation, which would integrate the fourth and fifth helix of an innovation system, respectively (Carayannis & Rakhmatullin, 2014;Mineiro et al, 2018).…”

“…The expansion of the role and mission of the university aims at the development of innovations that are pertinent to users -civil society -and includes the university in actions and efforts of a socio-environmental nature, aiming to contribute to the promotion of sustainable development (Carayannis & Rakhmatullin, 2014). Concerns about the role of the university as an agent of regional development seek to highlight it as having a key role in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as in the interaction with the community and in efforts to preserve the environment, a fact that characterizes an Engaged University at the regional level (Thomas & Pugh, 2020).…”

Universities as orchestrators of the development of regional innovation ecosystems in emerging economies

“…They are expected to fulfill their traditional missions of teaching and research and, in addition, to undertake new activities that focus on economic, social, and cultural contributions to regional development. Some of the models explaining universities’ contribution are (a) the entrepreneurial university model, where universities take an active role in commercializing knowledge through spin‐offs, patents, and licensing (Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000); (b) the RIS university model, where universities are important knowledge producers that interact with regional actors, leading to systemic innovation; (c) the mode 2 university model, where universities generate knowledge directly applicable to solving societal problems; (d) the engaged university model, which explores broader notions of universities’ regional engagement, including social dimensions and governance activities (Thomas & Pugh, 2020; Trippl et al., 2015); and (e) the civic university, where universities generate positive externalities and relationships to support or “anchor” local economic activity (Goddard et al., 2016). Our study goes beyond the previous classifications of universities’ regional impacts described above; instead, we analyze the role of universities as place leaders that orchestrate network activities.…”

Toward a Dynamic Capabilities Framework for Engendering 4IR-Enabled Circular Economy in a University of Technology

“…As purveyors of knowledge in society, universities have, quite understandably come under pressure to assume leading roles in the transition toward sustainable futures (Cortese, 2003;Leal Filho, 2011;Awuzie and Emuze, 2017;Ramakrishna et al, 2020). Accordingly, universities are expected to cater toward deepening sustainability-oriented education, innovations, and sustainable regional development (Peer and Stoeglehner, 2013;Soares et al, 2020;Thomas and Pugh, 2020;Garcia-Alvarez-Coque et al, 2021;Radinger-Peer et al, 2021).…”