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Entrepreneurial universities engagement and collaboration with rural communities

James Cunningham

Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Newcastle University Business School

James Cunningham

Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Newcastle University Business School
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Overview

Entrepreneurial universities are now viewed as important and significant anchor institutions in supporting economic and social development through formal and informal structures and mechanisms. Studies have highlighted the beneficial impacts of university collaborations on firms, the wider economic impacts and the associated barriers that impede effective engagement and collaborations for innovation and entrepreneurial purposes.

Rural-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), social and micro businesses innovation and entrepreneurship needs can differ from their urban-based counterparts. This project examined how entrepreneurial universities engage, support and collaborate with rural communities.

The research was funded through NICRE’s Research and Innovation Fund.

Uni Farm

Key findings

The research focuses on three main themes - rural entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship; challenges; and technology transfer, knowledge management and exchange. 

Working with a panel of experts, nationally and internationally, the team identified key motivating factors, barriers and enablers for successful entrepreneurial universities’ collaboration with rural communities.   

Motivating factors

  • Commercial opportunities
  • Social entrepreneurship and innovation opportunities
  • Potential impact on rural focused public policies
  • Problem-solving opportunities
  • Access to in-kind resources
  • Learning opportunities 

Barriers

  • Lack of trust, alignment and mutual understanding concerning expectations and priorities
  • Lack of support, expertise and skills to facilitate engagement and collaboration among stakeholders
  • Differences between university knowledge and the needs of rural enterprises and communities 
  • Complicated and bureaucratic technology and knowledge transfer policies and processes
  • Lack of general knowledge of technology transfer supports and expertise 
  • Lack of human capital to support collaborations. 

Enablers

  • Organisation structure and research capacity
  • Development and delivery of degree programmes that include student internships, visits and applied projects 
  • Targeted and tailored events for rural enterprises and communities 
  • Planning joint initiatives to develop creative methods with rural enterprises and communities
  • Establishing and strengthening of trust and strong social connections
  • Support from the technology transfer office and technology transfer executives
  • Government incentives and supports 
  • Support from development agencies and public research councils 

Recommendations

For entrepreneurial universities there is a need for: 

  • Core institutional missions and strategies that acknowledge the value and importance of engagement and indicates their commitment to rural communities.
  • Structures and organisational architecture across all missions aligned with rural communities’ current and future unmet needs 
  • Relational engagement and co-creation models designed to develop and build trust over the long term.  

For rural communities there is a need to:  

  • Identify current knowledge and technology needs at the individual firm and at community level. This may be incorporated into an overall community resilience need mapping.
  • Collaborate and engage with entrepreneurial universities in their region and beyond. 
  • Develop collaborative skills and build their absorptive capacity. 

For policymakers this a need for: 

  • A multi-annual capacity building programme to support firm-level innovation in rural areas.
  • Entrepreneurial university technology and knowledge transfer activities with rural areas.
  • Entrepreneurial university supported entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills in rural areas. 
Read the full report

Toolkit: supporting collaboration between universities and rural businesses and communities

To address some of our study’s challenges and insights, we have designed and developed a toolkit to provide a practical approach and support for actors who want to pursue collaborations and engagements with entrepreneurial universities, and for entrepreneurial universities to develop engagement with rural communities and enterprise. The toolkit has been designed so that it can be applied to any form and type of university-based collaboration by any stakeholder

Research team

James Cunningham

Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Newcastle University Business School

Chiara Marzoochi

Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Newcastle University Business School

Rhiannon Pugh

Senior Lecturer, Lund University, Sweden

Maeve Henchion

Principal Research Officer, Head of the Teagasc Department of Agrifood Business and Spatial Analysis

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