Tim Vorley

From policy to practice: engaging and embedding the third mission in contemporary universities

Purpose – Over the past 20 years public policy has sought to promote and formalise the socio‐economic role of universities under the auspices of the so called “third mission”. The purpose of this paper is to consider how the third mission relates to, and has the capacity to reinforce the core missions of teaching and research.Design/methodology/approach – By highlighting the key limitations of contemporary debate the paper bridges the conceptual model/case‐study dichotomy that characterises the literature. The paper draws on an ongoing study of higher education institutions in the UK and Europe.Findings – The paper contends that triangulating teaching, research, and third stream activities reinforces the respective dynamics of each component through their recursive and reciprocal development.Research limitations/implications – The paper forms the foundations of a de novo research agenda to better understand the dynamics of the third mission as a central facet of the contemporary university.Practical impli...

My networking is not working! Conceptualizing the latent and dysfunctional dimensions of the network paradigm

Abstract Networks have become a major analytical concept in economic geography and have served to extend both empirical and theoretical research agendas. However, much of the literature on networks is characterized as associative, considering them only as cumulative constructs through the constant enrollment of additional actors. Through the lens of social capital and a discussion of the limitations of the networking paradigm in economic geography, this article aims to move beyond this associative nature and introduce variance in network practices in the form of nonworking and not working. By presenting a hypothetical example of a project-based network, we introduce the concepts of nonworking and not working as latency and disassociation as dimensions of network practices. In doing so, we present a more nuanced approach to the networking paradigm in relational economic geography, one that moves beyond a purely associative understanding to incorporate nonworking and not working.

Realizing capabilities—academic creativity and the creative industries

Abstract Higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide are in an era of change. In England universities have been challenged to realize their potential their potential under guise of the so called ‘Third Mission’, which has emphasised the commercialization and technology transfer of academic research. Much of the existing literature is devoted to the scientific dimension of the Third Mission, with little if any recognition as to the non-scientific creative capacity of HEIs. Indeed, the absence of (non-scientific) academic creativity from the Third Mission of HEIs, and by other stakeholders such as the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), means HEIs are not realizing their potential. Realizing the creative potential of HEIs is the second wave of the entrepreneurial university, and entails a new research agenda, as institutions seek to protect and commercialize creative intellectual property (IP). This paper focuses on the spaces and resources of cultural quarters (CQs) as an example of a specific domain in and with which HEIs engage to realize the potential of their non-scientific creative knowledge. In short, the paper proposes that the creative capacity of HEIs represents an under-exploited resource of the new or knowledge- based economy, of which HEIs are themselves key organizations.

INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHICAL ECONOMIES OF CREATIVITY, ENTERPRISE AND THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Abstract. This special issue brings together creativity and enterprise through the geographies of the creative industries. In recent years the focus of academic debate has privileged business and corporate economies, and so this issue seeks to contribute both empirically and theoretically to the burgeoning literature of creative industries. Economic geography offers a rich domain through which to engage with these debates, exploring the nuances of creativity and enterprise. Our aim, as well as bringing together a set of interesting papers, is to contribute critically to understanding the organization and spatial structure of creative industries and the broader creative economy.

Building Entrepreneurial Architectures: A Conceptual Interpretation of the Third Mission

Universities are increasingly being challenged to become more socially and economically relevant institutions under the guise of the so-called ‘Third Mission’. This phenomenon, articulated in policy, has prompted the emergence of a growing literature documenting the evolution of the contemporary university, and specifically addressing the Third Mission and university entrepreneurship; however, it remains at once both too broadly conceptualised and overly fragmented. Thus, as the scope of university entrepreneurship widens to include ever more forms of engagement, the Third Mission remains under-theorised. Drawing together these streams of literature on the contemporary university, the concept of ‘entrepreneurial architecture’ is employed to develop a more nuanced perspective. Based on a study of UK higher education institutions, this article builds on Burnss (2005) notion of ‘entrepreneurial architecture’ to understand the internal dynamics that underpin the coordination and consolidation of the Third Mission. The Third Mission has been politically created through numerous (prescriptive) funding programmes; however, the next phase of the Third Mission demands an understanding beyond prescription. The concept of entrepreneurial architecture provides a grounded theoretical contribution to the study of university entrepreneurship, while also offering institutions and policy makers a pragmatic approach to institutional development in the context of the Third Mission.