Abstract:

Context and assumption:
Universities and society have been working together for over a century, but the rise of a global knowledge economy has intensified the need for strategic partnerships that go beyond the traditional cooperation on discrete research projects. This implies the transformation of existing economic and societal structures in the sense that knowledge is the core resource which triggers substantial transformation and progress of the society and economy.

In the knowledge society we see similarities between modern enterprises as creators and users of knowledge and competencies called “knowledge enterprises” and universities as providers of scientific knowledge and competencies. Consequently, in order to better respond to enterprise demand and to society needs, as a whole, the university must make available the results of its laboratory activities to the society and provide adapted training to all those interested and help enlarge participation to the “life-long learning” processes. In order to play their part, universities must adopt an entrepreneurial attitude in managing people, knowledge and competencies.

The objective of our research is to identify the appropriate management for developing entrepreneurial universities, particularly to identify what we call “academic entrepreneurial structures” to ensure better university – industry cooperation. The research stresses the importance of partnerships between universities and enterprises in the knowledge society and proposes the entrepreneurial university model as a solution for better university-industry cooperation.

The research focuses on the convergence between the practices of the knowledge enterprise and of the entrepreneurial university, on the transformations universities need to adapt to society demands.

The method used consists in an analysis of EC, EUA and OECD documents on university modernisation, some study cases on university – industry cooperation, research on the entrepreneurial university and an in situ analysis based on interviews with university representatives. We conducted a comparative analysis on the evolution of entrepreneurial universities in Europe, the cooperation between universities and industry and the impact of the entrepreneurial university model on graduate employability based on the literature available and my previous research on this topic.

Results and conclusion:
In the knowledge society, no organisation can be competitive and face the complex and changing economic and social environment unless it associates with others. Consequently, we propose a model for academic entrepreneurial structures which could enhance this cooperation. The interaction between entrepreneurial universities and knowledge enterprises will undoubtedly promote innovation and therefore the development of the global knowledge society.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurial university, university-industry cooperation, knowledge enterprise, university entrepreneurial structures.