Abstract
This article attempts to describe recent paths in University-Industry linkages in the Italian University system. In the last decades University vision has fundamentally changed together with its structure and goals. A large debate has raised towards and main findings have been shared around several aspects that are impossible to be adequately covered, nevertheless we present an outlook of the general trends and literature. One of the most challenging development of University has been the mass education expansion (Trow, 1973), and the rising number of undergraduates that have stimulated a sensitive growth in number and size of many Universities. In the international frame also institutions differentiation of the overall higher education system has been pointed out as a strategic focus on which the actors will be engaged in the future (Bonaccorsi 2007). Moreover, a large part of the literature has been dedicated to knowledge society (Etzkovitz, 2003) and service market economy, an issue that has incentivized an increasing interaction between University and the external actors, and its “openness” (Slaughter and Leslie, 1997). Beyond the first and the second mission (respectively represented by teaching and research), a third stream of activities has come up as “dissemination or outreach activities” (Gulbrandsen et al. 2007), exploring the degree of entrepreneurship in the current University system (Etzkovitz, 2000). University-industry knowledge transfer represents a key research subject in the economics studies, and a critical issue in science and technology policy agenda of several countries, and inevitably linked to innovation policy, whereas innovation deals not only with specific firms but with a huge field of institutions that aim to develop technological system at national level (Lundvall, 1992).
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Sciacca, M. (2013). Industrial Funding Path Analysis in the Italian University System. In: Howlett, R., Gabrys, B., Musial-Gabrys, K., Roach, J. (eds) Innovation through Knowledge Transfer 2012. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 18. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-34219-6_24
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