Entrepreneurial University Concept Review from the Perspective of Academicians: A Mixed Method Research Analysis

Abstract

Understanding the role of the factors that contribute to the development and growth of entrepreneurial universities is important for both the university itself and the global economy as a whole. Therefore, this study aimed to gain a deep understanding of the entrepreneurial university. The study was designed with a mixed-method approach in which quantitative and qualitative methods were used together. In the quantitative part of the mixed-method research, a systematic literature review of the entrepreneurial university concept was done and based on the results of the literature search obtained by quantitative methods, general concepts and categories and their relations with the contexts were revealed. In the qualitative part of the mixed-method research, in order to explain the entrepreneurial university understanding, semi-structured interviews were conducted with academicians in universities. According to the findings, it was found that conceptualization was very important to understand the entrepreneurial university. The university was considered as an institution that serves students and companies via some channels, such as research reports, an academic publication, or a patent received at the end of a project. As the entrepreneurial university paradigm is being studied by various institutions in the world, this study contributes to the literature both as a theoretical study and as a study that reveal the concepts of the entrepreneurial university. By providing a conceptual framework, the research will contribute to the literature as a theoretical study by aiming to explain the service systems (universities, government, firms) based on the exchange of skills and the creation of common value in the knowledge-based society on the entrepreneurial university paradigm, which is extremely popular in the world. Fındings from the systematic literature review and interviews with academicians were analysed comparatively, and a conceptual framework that evaluates the concepts and variables of the entrepreneurial university with a holistic view is presented.