Higher Education and Smart Specialization in North-East Romania

The chapter analyzes the links between the higher education system and the design and implementation of smart specialization strategies in north-east Romania, with the aim of providing actionable steps for policymakers, higher education institutions (HEIs), and other stakeholders. This case study allows reflecting on the potential of smart specialization in a region recognized as a higher-education hub in Romania and characterized by a very proactive regional development agency (RDA), but in which universities display limited engagement with the territory and where public administration is highly centralized. The findings identify actions that HEIs and the RDA can undertake to enhance universities' roles within RIS3. These revolve around (1) improving collaborations among HEIs within the region; (2) accessing international collaboration networks for research, teaching, and innovation; and (3) finding avenues of interaction with local actors.

Smart Specialization Strategy

This chapter deliberates the significance of smart specialization strategy and its impact on regional development that enable a region to become more creative and innovative. Consistently, the emergence of smart specialization strategy is the cornerstone of creating a unique platform for enhancing territorial competitiveness and knowledge-driven innovation center through promoting entrepreneurial universities within the region connected to the regional growth scheme. Therefore, the authors investigate what makes regions competitive. What fosters growth in one region may be under a bottleneck effect in another. This chapter represents an accessible approach for identifying competitors and their particular circumstances that discuss regional entrepreneurial discovery process and their competitiveness from a conceptual perspective.

Smart Specialization Strategies and Universities

The smart specialization strategy is a cornerstone in the EU policy. The smart specialization policy and the entrepreneurial discovery process is formalized in order to generalize and implement the smart specialization concept. The main conclusion of the proposed theoretical framework is that the smart specialization strategy is efficient if it increases the productivity of the largest factor in the region. Starting from the biased technological change notion, the proposed theoretical framework shows the pivotal role of the university for the efficient implementation of the smart specialization strategy not only in the short and medium term but also in the long term.

An Analysis of University Governance Dimensions in Academic Research and S3 Innovation Performance

The chapter examines the multi-dimensional university governance topic, looking into five governance dimensions of universities and the differences across EU member states. It analyzes how the differences in university governance dimensions influence in their role in their regional research and innovation systems, and specifically in the smart specialization strategies (S3) implementation. The S3 is a new policy that has introduced novelties in regional development policy, requiring the mobilization of quadruple helix actors in setting the regional priorities for innovative potential. The involvement of universities in the formulation of these strategies is of high importance; however, it poses a number of challenges, particularly in regions with incipient regional innovation systems with low institutional capacity and leadership to coordinate the different actors' capacities. The chapter sheds light for policymakers and university managers on the most relevant university governance dimensions that can influence on how they engage with their regional research and innovation system.

The Case for Smart Specialization Strategies (RIS3) as an Instrument for Place-Based Policies

Place-based policies are considered the new regional policy paradigm, replacing an existing concept of regional development pillars and redistributive logics. At EU policy-making level, the territorial dimension of the programming cycle for 2014-20 requires place-based policies to the formulation and implementation of a new set of instruments as the smart specialization strategies (RIS3). Based on dynamic competitive advantages anchored on territorial idiosyncrasies, RIS3 are as well an ex-ante condition of access to the structural funds at both a national and regional level. RIS3 are thus seen by us as a benchmark instrument for the place-based theory. An analysis of the scientific literature and official documents of the EU and its member states supported a correlation matrix that cross-referenced the characteristics of the RIS3 with those of the regional policy paradigms. Results reveal that RIS3 are hybrid policy instruments partly place-based but still with characteristics that bring them closer to the polarized and redistributive paradigm.

From the Entrepreneurial University to the Civic University

The chapter aims to investigate the impact of the presence of the university on the perceived quality of life of the host community. To this aim, the authors focused on a specific area, that is the historical town center of Naples (as defined by the UNESCO in the World Heritage List since 1995), where five universities are located. Adopting a qualitative and explorative approach, 25 in-depth interviews have been conducted with local universities' stakeholders and content-analyzed through the software Nvivo 10. Thus, the authors identified precisely the multiplicity of activities through which the presence of the university contributes to the socio-economic and cultural well-being of the community of which it is part, thinking about the dynamics that may occur in the case of an urban-located university. Based on the findings, a conceptual model is proposed that may be further validated with new investigations.

Exploring Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Entrepreneurial ecosystems are now central to the economic policies of nations, with particular relevance in Europe. This chapter intends to explore the evolution of the studies on innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in order to identify gaps and new perspectives of research that can serve as a reflection to universities, political decisions, and the business fabric. Extensive research was conducted using the Web of Science database. Six clusters were found in the literature on entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems: ecosystems of innovation, entrepreneurship, region, new ventures, technology, and entrepreneurial university. New theoretical perspectives based on bibliometric analysis and new research paths have been identified.

Smart Specialization and R&I Policy Framework in Turkey

The smart specialization strategy (S3) has been accepted as a solution for the European Union (EU) to catch up United States in productivity, R&D intensity, etc. The process of research and innovation strategies for smart specialization (RIS3) is described in six steps: the regional/national context, governance, elaboration, identification of priorities, the definition of coherent policy mix and action plan, and finally, the integration of monitoring and evaluation mechanism. In this chapter, the situation in Turkey is evaluated under these six steps. RIS3 strategy is not specified on the national level at Turkey, while it is debatable on the regional level.

Entrepreneurial Mission of an Academic Creative Incubator

In Porto, like most European cities, cultural dimension and cultural activities have become increasingly important in recent years. Simultaneously, incubators became a way to promote creative business and support creative entrepreneurs, aiming at the local economic development. This is also recognized in academic institutions that boost academic third mission with, among others, the local positive cultural dynamics, responding to the domains of smart specialization defined to the northern region of Portugal. City center of Porto is, because of its centrality, where the expression of cultural and creative dimension assumes particular contours, being more concentrated and effervescent. In this chapter, the authors present the UPTEC PINC. For it, a methodological approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods, namely interviews of the executive manager and start-ups installed in PINC and analysis of statistical indicators, is used.

Entrepreneurial Universities and Knowledge Circulation

Knowledge circulation and the entrepreneurial university have become essential to the functioning of regional innovation systems. What does this mean for the three core tasks of universities – teaching, doing scientific research, and making a societal contribution? How can the changing of these tasks be analyzed in the context of the role of the entrepreneurial university in knowledge circulation? Which challenges does a sharpened focus on knowledge circulation entail for the entrepreneurial university and which issues should be on the top of the agenda of the boards of universities and policy makers to stimulate knowledge circulation? This chapter discusses the role of entrepreneurial universities in processes of knowledge circulation and sketches the contours of an agenda to actively stimulate processes of knowledge circulation at entrepreneurial universities.