Universities and Science Parks : Engagements and Interactions in Developing and Attracting Talent

Many studies have shown that they have ceased to be mere facilitators of physical spaces to become important providers of services and resources to their tenants. Universities situated in or next to them play a key role in getting engaged in the development and the attraction of talent to Science Parks, to their tenant firms as well as to the region. Considering that skilled professionals are one of the resources that companies seek the most, Science Parks have dedicated numerous activities and means to become even more attractive to talented individuals, who can especially be found in entrepreneurial universities. In this study, we review the literature regarding the interactions existing between Science Parks or their tenants and their local universities. Talent attraction and entrepreneurship issues are addressed as the building blocks of these interactions. We strive to identify types of interactions that could differ in function of the maturity levels of the firms since their aims are not the same: at an early stage, firms tend to focus more on growth, whereas at a later stage, they tend to focus more on their development. We then point out policy implications, concerning both entrepreneurial or engaged universities and Science Parks