Knowledge exchange and the Third Mission of universities Introduction : the Triple Helix and the Third Mission – Schumpeter revisited

Joseph Schumpeter (1883–1950) is well known as an economist, among other things, for his seminal contribution explaining long-term economic growth in terms of innovation and technological progress. He identified innovation at the heart of upswings in the so-called ‘Kondratiev waves’ that profile socioeconomic development trends over long periods. He saw innovation as a dynamic process of ‘creative destruction’ in which new orders arise with the obliteration of the old. This process he attributed to the entrepreneur – the innovator who, in the Schumpeterian paradigm, would in effect count as a history maker. For all its significance as a landmark in the literature of innovation and economic development, Schumpeter’s contribution falls short of providing a theory of innovation. However, he has left behind a long-standing tradition of innovation studies to grapple with this shortfall. The quest continues in the form of innovation systems and evolutionary theory, in which the Triple Helix features as a strand. There is a Schumpeterian antecedent to the theme of this special issue, which portrays entrepreneurial universities as the powerhouse of innovation. The issue comprises contributions selected from the proceedings of the 7th Triple Helix International Conference on the relationship between universities, industry and government. The conference, hosted by the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow on 17–19 June 2009, focused on ‘The role of the Triple Helix in the global agenda for innovation, competitiveness and sustainable development’ and addressed the evolving role of universities as centres of knowledge production through teaching and research. How, for example, are universities positioned in relation to industry and government to impact on the economy, society and the environment and to address the contemporary global challenges of poverty, unemployment, environmental degradation and climate change? In other words, to what extent have universities managed to shed their long-standing ‘ivory tower’ image and engage in the pursuit of the Third Mission? Universities in many countries have come a long way from their traditional ivory tower stance to assume an increasingly dynamic entrepreneurial role by strategically connecting to key players in the wider economy. This development has led to the emergence of two interdependent concepts – the Triple Helix and the Third Mission. Together, these concepts define the role universities are expected to play in the process of innovation and sustainable development. Governments would, as a matter of policy, like to ensure by means of funding mechanisms that universities are positively