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New challenges for universities in the knowledge triangle

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Abstract

This paper discusses the role of higher education institutions within the framework of the knowledge triangle between academic education, scientific research and innovation, as it has gained importance in recent years as a framework for innovation policies especially in the OECD and Europe. First, complementary concepts of universities’ outreach activities and extended role model such as ‘third mission’, ‘triple helix’, ‘entrepreneurial or civic university’ models and ‘smart specialization’ are reflected against their fit with the concept of the knowledge triangle, also with respect to new requirements for university governance. Second, a new understanding of spillovers between public sectors research and the business sector according to knowledge triangle is presented.

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Notes

  1. Wallin (2006) defines orchestration as: “the capability to mobilize and integrate resources for the purpose of providing an offering to a customer and simultaneously creating value for the customer, the orchestrator, and the network members involved. The orchestrator considers the constraints, based on which conversations are nurtured, to define and execute the purposeful resource allocation to create, produce, and provide the customer with the offering”.

  2. For more information on the way HEIs contribute to the KT, see www.heinnovate.eu.

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Acknowledgements

Dirk Meissner’s contribution to the article was prepared within the framework of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and supported within the framework of the subsidy granted to the HSE by the Government of the Russian Federation for the implementation of the Global Competitiveness Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Economic and Innovation Research (POLICIES), Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Graz, Austria

    Maximilian Unger & Wolfgang Polt

  2. OECD, Paris, France

    Giulia Ajmone Marsan & Mario Cervantes

  3. National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

    Dirk Meissner

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  1. Maximilian Unger
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  2. Giulia Ajmone Marsan
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Correspondence to Maximilian Unger.

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Unger, M., Marsan, G.A., Meissner, D. et al. New challenges for universities in the knowledge triangle. J Technol Transf 45, 806–819 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-018-9699-8

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