A multilayered perspective on entrepreneurial universities: looking into the dynamics of joint university-industry labs

Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 2022. Vol. 178. Article 121573.

Meissner D., Zhou Y., Fischer B., Vonortas N.

In this article we pay attention to the different analytical layers that compose the managerial context of university-industry relationships – a cornerstone of entrepreneurial universities. Specifically, we address the dynamics of joint university-industry laboratories, a typical example of high-quality engagement between academia and industry. Joint university-industry laboratories are understood as long term joint undertakings shared by universities and industry targeted at generating value for all parties involved through various channels. Given the different missions of universities and industry, joint laboratories inherit special challenges for management. Our exploration therefore outlines four complementary dimensions of interest in this context: the macro environment, university-level institutional challenges, strategic context and, lastly, we deal with individual-level aspects when analyzing identity issues involved in the dynamics of joint university-industry labs. A research agenda is derived from these explorations.

Keywords: university-industry collaboration, entrepreneurial universities, Laboratories, ecosystems of innovation

Publication based on the results of: Study of factors determining the behavior of the innovation actors in the post-pandemic conditions (2022)