Entrepreneurial university: Exploring its essence, phases of development, and operating mechanism during wartime in Ukraine

Abstract

This study investigates the essence and characteristics of entrepreneurial universities during wartime in Ukraine by applying theoretical abstraction and expert survey methods. A statistical analysis of hypotheses reveals a positive impact of the entrepreneurial model on university innovativeness. The research highlights a notable deficiency in understanding the forms and methods of business-academia collaboration, constituting a significant hindrance. Factor analysis discloses three operating mechanisms for entrepreneurial universities based on internal, external, or combined resource orientation. A cluster of Ukrainian HEIs closely aligned with the entrepreneurial model is discerned, encompassing KNU Shevchenko, Kyiv and Lviv Polytechnic, Sumy National, and Ukrainian Catholic Universities. The study determines the most auspicious avenues of cooperation between businesses and HEIs. Hypothesis testing with regards to critical university activities during wartime underscores the importance of retaining students, professors, and other higher education staff and financial support for their activities. Financing HEIs during wartime involves state support, revenues from educational services, and grants. The study findings can assist university management in selecting appropriate methods for implementing an entrepreneurial model during and after wartime. Public educational authorities could effectively deploy the proposed methodologies to scrutinize the efficacy of entrepreneurial models introduced by Ukrainian HEIs.