Christensen, Per

Johnson, Bjørn

Lehmann, Martin

The notion of Public-Private Partnerships (P3) is ambiguous. This has not stopped the UN and several other organisations from proclaiming these partnerships as a pivotal mechanism for a move towards more sustainable societies. To date, however, little emphasis has been on universities in this connection, and their roles (if any) are still somewhat unclear. So, the question is: What is or could be the role of universities in P3s?A third mission of universities, often referred to as ‘outreach’, is increasingly coming into focus. One aspect of the third mission is the role universities is or may be playing in public-private partnerships for sustainable development, and the links and benefits this may provide towards universities fulfilling their first (science) and second (education) missions.In this paper, the first part is dedicated to the discussion and clarification of the concept of public-private partnerships. The role of universities if and when actively participating in ‘life outside the ivory tower’ is addressed. These partnerships are also discussed in a regional context. With point of departure in innovation theory, we combine ‘sustainable development’ with the Regional System of Innovation approach to propose a new concept – Sustainable Regional Innovation System – in which regional initiatives such as Public-Private(-Academic) Partnerships play an integrated role, not least in the context of ‘learning and innovation for sustainable development’.Two cases are presented to underline the importance of what is signified as Public-Private-Academic Partnerships (PPAP); i.e. partnerships, where universities are given - or take on themselves - a specific role. In such partnerships, we argue, mediation is a major function of universities, including both provision of new knowledge and conciliation of opposing views and universities thus act as catalytic and institutionalising entities.</p

Public-Private Partnerships and Sustainable Regional Innovation Systems:special Roles for Universities?

http://vbn.aau.dk/files/16535918/PPP_SRIS.pdf

Public-Private Partnerships and Sustainable Regional Innovation Systems:special Roles for Universities?

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