Developing Supportive Entrepreneurial Universities in Support of Business Scalability: Education and knowledge exchange as regenerative action

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Introduction

As rich sources of contextual or universally beneficial knowledge, expertise, and invention, universities continue to be fundamental to regions and nations towards economic, technological, and social development (Bjørnskov and Foss, 2016; Acs et al., 2018; Urbano et al., 2019; Aparicio et al., 2023). Today’s universities, albeit navigating ever-present challenges (Crammond, 2020), embrace change and volatility through responsive, enterprising, and research-informed activities (Hytti et al., 2018; Williams Middleton et al., 2020). This is partly through its engagement with business communities (Von Graevenitz et al., 2010; Powell, 2012; Crammond, 2024) and wider society (Cooney and Murray, 2008), transferring knowledge, and contributing to sectors through start-ups, spinouts and scalable businesses by its students, staff, and alumni connections (Bell and Bell, 2016; Secundo et al., 2017; Crammond, 2023). 

Universities exist with an overarching objective of being transformational for individuals, societies, and nations overall (Bauman and Lucy, 2021; Cui and Bell, 2022). Additionally, from an organisational perspective, creative collaborations and precise partnerships between universities and industries, which span practical disciplines and professions, lead to significant developments and outcomes (Jones and Ratten, 2021; Theodoraki et al., 2022). These developments and outcomes range from determining necessary productivity and performance measures, assessing financial sustainability, and determining distinct dynamic capabilities of businesses through their capacity to create and innovate, to affirming entrepreneurial leadership and requisite cultures which not only nurture market-driven and market desired activity but build valuable legacies (Blenker et al., 2012; Liñán et al., 2024). 

In recent years, the connections between universities and business have been disrupted by unprecedented events, such as COVID-19, or weakened by limited resources, funding and infrastructural issues. However, these connections are still highly necessary, given the presence of both national and international challenges. Consequently, in light of the uncertain economic and social climate, modern universities are expected to deliver active, aspiring, and enterprising ecosystems (Belitski and Heron, 2017; Wurth et al., 2022). This is due to the fact that they are constantly striving to transcend static and isolated teaching and research within institutions, as well as the entrepreneurial endeavours and the "third mission" of universities (Crammond and Hyams-Ssekasi, 2024).

The Special Issue, Developing Supportive Entrepreneurial Universities in Support of Business Scalability: Education and knowledge exchange as regenerative action, provokes discussion and invites research concerning the dynamic and evolving role of universities, as supportive agents of change through educational and knowledge exchange-based interventions (Higgins et al., 2023; Yin et al., 2024). Amidst the backdrop of constrained resources, and industry shifts, both within and without the university sector, this context presents several challenges.

Firstly, the identity of entrepreneurial institutions such as universities and their ability to support surrounding regions and businesses towards scalable operations and subsequent sustainability (Spigel, 2017; Canestrino et al., 2023; Huggins et al., 2024). An ongoing concern for universities and businesses alike, is the role of universities failing to continue in providing industry with graduates possessing relevant knowledge and applicable skills, or ineffectively engaging with today’s business world (Neck and Liu, 2021). 

Secondly, amongst universities, a key challenge is to possess distinct characteristics such as entrepreneurial, problem solving, and innovative entities in the marketplace (Crammond, 2020). In an immensely competitive higher education sector, universities must regularly access, but also assess and apportion, their resources and reserves to balance effectiveness and efficiency.

Thirdly, universities, in their engagement with aspirational business, must be able to evidence impact as members of entrepreneurial ecosystems. This includes guiding businesses, pooling and the sharing of functional, conceptual, international, and digital expertise (Linzalone et al., 2020; Spigel et al., 2020), and inspire continuous, fresh creativity and innovation. 

This Special Issue aims to highlight the impact of universities towards scalable businesses, their current roles and responsibilities, educational and cultural considerations affecting the organisational context, and both the witnessed dynamics and appreciated perspectives within entrepreneurial ecosystems.

List of topic areas

The Special Issue welcomes high quality submissions which aim to address the related challenges and highlight opportunities within the researched field, as well as in practice and related policy. Relevant themes and topics which would be of interest to this Special Issue include, but are not restricted to, the following:

Theme 1: The University Context
• The intervention of the university on the entrepreneurial process, or business scale up activities
• Advanced forms of enterprising education and business/external engagement, from the university
• New venture creation and knowledge management, within the ecosystem environment
• Developmental measures and mechanisms which support and progress university-based business and ecosystem support
• The role of universities towards social and sustainable entrepreneurship, and the development of financial, physical, human, and intellectual capital

Theme 2: The Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
• Witnessed behaviour and proclivities within, and as a result of entrepreneurship ecosystems and knowledge spillovers
• Exploratory investigations of entrepreneurial ecosystems, innovative institutions, and influenced business scalability
• Theoretical developments concerning entrepreneurial institutions as change agents, stakeholder appreciations, and the intersection of education and entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial strategies

Theme 3: Organisational and Intrapreneurial Perspectives
• (Renewed) organisational cultures, through entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial activity and processes
• Enlightened (small) business adoption, or adaptation of advancing technologies (such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), business modelling, product design, and developmental programming etc.), contributing to dynamic capabilities, aided by universities within intrapreneurial contexts and organisational structures

The Special Issue also encourages submissions which adopt timely and pragmatic methodologies, cross or multidisciplinary approaches, and through reflecting on, or exploring contemporary perspectives, in establishing novel conceptualisations and valuable knowledge. Significantly, approaches, investigations, and viewed perspectives within this Special Issue should result in fresh understandings which instigate developmental practice and outline policy recommendations, where applicable.

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijebr

Author guidelines must be strictly followed. https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ijebr#jlp_author_guidelines

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”. 

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Guest Editors

Dr Robert James Crammond
Senior Lecturer in Enterprise, University of the West of Scotland, UK
[email protected]

Dr Trudie Murray
Lecturer in Entrepreneurship & Economics, Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland
[email protected] 

Prof. Robin Bell
Professor in Entrepreneurship, University of Worcester, UK
[email protected]

Key Deadlines

Call for Abstracts: Friday 10th January 2025
Email for submission queries: [email protected] 

Opening date for manuscript submissions: Monday 2nd December 2024
Closing date for manuscript submissions: Monday 2nd June 2025