Accelerating economic development through innovation : university cases in research, education and catalyzing innovation

Abstract

The primary role of universities in strengthening economic development is in accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship. The framework Universities as Engines of Economic Development codifies a set of practices that collectively illustrate how universities can more effectively accelerate innovation, and contribute to sustainable economic development. This qualitative interdisciplinary study complements this systemic framework by illustrating with eleven case studies how these practices of knowledge exchange in research, education, and catalyzing innovation, are applied across different types of universities and circumstances. Results show how universities invigorate discoveries, enhance the training of future researchers, and improve direct diffusion of knowledge exchange by supporting investigator-driven mechanisms that solve societal challenges through interdisciplinary collaborations--among scholars, industry, and government--while influencing education, science policy and practice. Students are educated through integrated curriculum, real-world projects and independent learning to scale up tech ventures by leveraging the resources of local ecosystems and providing access to university intellectual property, tangible research products, incubators, labs, funding and professional entrepreneurial networks. These case studies reveal how universities can accelerate sustainable prosperity through innovation and help stakeholders reach their full potential.