Insight and Innovation in International Development

Edited by International Development Research CentreOttawa, Ontario, Canada

Titles in this series:Göransson, B., Brundenius, C., eds., Universities in Transition

For further volumes:http://www.springer.com/series/8850

Bo Göransson • Claes BrundeniusEditors

Universities in Transition

The Changing Role and Challenges for Academic Institutions

International Development Research CentreOttawa • Cairo • Dakar • Montevideo • Nairobi • New Delhi • Singapore

EditorsBo GöranssonResearch Policy InstituteLund UniversityLund, SwedenBo.Goransson@fpi.lu.se

Claes BrundeniusResearch Policy InstituteLund UniversityLund, SwedenClaes.Brundenius@fpi.lu.se

ISBN 978-1-4419-7508-9 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-7509-6DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-7509-6Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010938620

© International Development Research Centre 2011All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden.The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights.

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info@idrc.ca/www.idrc.caISBN (e-book) 978-1-55250-505-2

A copublication with theInternational Development Research CentrePO Box 8500Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 3H9

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Foreword

Universities in Transition investigates the evolving interaction between higher edu-cation institutions and society. While the university was once described as an “ivory tower,” a new metaphor is emerging as the institution becomes more embedded in society. Universities, governments, and industries are now described as the DNA strands of a “triple helix,” forming the dynamic building blocks of the knowledge economy. When the strands are healthy and interconnected, the helix produces the knowledge, know-how, and technology of prosperous societies. With this recogni-tion comes new pressure on the university – provide specialized training to more students; develop and transfer technologies to industry; and respond to numerous societal needs.

Despite the importance, we still have only a partial view of why the triple helix expresses itself so differently across countries, leading to different development outcomes. We are therefore indebted to the 34 authors who have investigated the relations that universities have with civil society, government officials, and entre-preneurs across the 12 country studies presented in this book. The selected coun-tries have different political and economic systems, and together these countries account for a significant portion of world enrolment in higher education. Interestingly, we do not see a genetic predisposition toward an embedded or iso-lated university sector. Rather, the authors have done a great service by identifying the internal dynamics and external forces that have influenced the way universities contribute to social and economic development, helping to explain why some coun-tries advance while others lag.

In the chapters on Brazil and South Africa, for example, political change has directed the university sector to increase access to previously marginalized groups while at the same time called for greater commercialization of university research. The adjustment has neither been easy nor uncontroversial, as universities struggle to adapt basic research to meet market needs, and to accommodate a larger student body while retaining the quality of education. Experiments in widening access to higher education demands special attention, as too many aspiring university gradu-ates are denied the opportunity.

The transformation of the university sector in Cuba and Russia is an illustrative comparison. Soviet and Cuban socialist revolutions were at the same time scientific revolutions, with governments placing considerable attention on higher education.

vi Foreword

Emerging from virtually illiterate societies, both countries attained stunning tech-nological accomplishments in relatively resource poor environments. With the demise of the Soviet Union, Russian higher education institutions ceased to be the engines of technological development they once were. Moreover, it has taken con-siderable time to reform university governance and curricula to respond to the new political and economic realities. By contrast, Cuba’s university system – having experienced more continuity than change since the revolution – has managed to provide a fairly consistent level of support to the productive sector and society. The explanation for divergent pathways is both economic and political but choices remain that can make a difference. In pointing out the choices and their conse-quences across numerous country studies, the book provides an invaluable resource to inform future debates.

As editors Bo Göransson and Claes Brundenius note in their introductory chap-ters, the multinational collaboration that went into the publication had a goal beyond advancing understanding. Unlike many books that create the space for authors to educate the reader, the editors and their UNIDEV network used this book to create the environment for chapter authors and policymakers to exchange views on trends affecting higher education in their countries, and the opportunity to situ-ate their context in a comparative setting.

For both the process involved and for highlighting the factors that influence how universities contribute to the wealth of nations, this is a highly appropriate book to inaugurate the International Development Research Centre’s new book series – Insight and Innovation in International Development.

For four decades, IDRC has supported research that brings to light new ways of looking at social, economic and environmental issues, and technological solutions. A significant amount of this work has been conducted at universities in developing regions of the world with strong linkages worldwide. IDRC has challenged researchers to inform academic debates and to share knowledge beyond academia – with communities, policymakers, and entrepreneurs. We see this as an innovative research process that delivers ideas and options needed for people to make informed choices. Not only does this book discuss innovations in university governance and how research spurs social and industrial innovation, but it also provides insight into how research enhances public understanding.

David M. MalonePresident, International Development Research Centre

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During the 4 years of research work carried out by the UniDev network in prepara-tion of this book, numerous persons from different walks of life have been involved as participants either in the national workshops or in other project activities. They are too numerous to be listed here but we would like to thank them collectively for their enthusiastic contributions which provided valuable insights as to how repre-sentatives of the nation state, industry, academia and civil society view different aspects of the evolving role of academic institutions.

For financial support we thank the Department for Research Cooperation (SAREC) at the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA) in Sweden and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada. The dedica-tion and wholehearted support of their program officers greatly facilitated the project work. Finally, we would also like to give special thanks to Sylvia Schwaag Serger who was directly involved in the project in its initial phase and has since provided insightful comments on various drafts of contributions to this book.

Acknowledgments

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Contents

Part I The Context

1 Background and Introduction ................................................................. 3Bo Göransson and Claes Brundenius

2 In Search of Excellence? An International Perspective on Governance of University Research ................................................... 11Mats Benner

3 The Evolving Role of Universities in Economic Development: The Case of University–Industry Linkages ............................................ 25Prasada Reddy

Part II Country Case Studies

4 Brazilian Universities and Their Contribution to Innovation and Development ....................................................................................... 53José Manoel Carvalho de Mello, Anne-Marie Maculan, and Thiago Borges Renault

5 Uruguay: Higher Education, National System of Innovation, and Economic Development in a Small Peripheral Country ................ 77Rodrigo Arocena and Judith Sutz

6 Cuba: University, Innovation and Society: Higher Education in the National System of Innovation....................... 97Jorge Núñez Jover, Luis Félix Montalvo Arriete, Isarelis Pérez Ones, Aurora Fernández González, and José Luis García Cuevas

7 Vietnam: Current Debates on the Transformation of Academic Institutions ........................................................................... 119Tran Ngoc Ca and Nguyen Vo Hung

x Contents

8 China: Challenges for Higher Education in a High Growth Economy...................................................................... 143Wang Haiyan and Zhou Yuan

9 Tanzania: The Evolving Role of Universities in Economic Development ...................................................................... 171Burton L.M. Mwamila and Bitrina D. Diyamett

10 South Africa: Reforming Higher Education and Transforming the National System of Innovation ........................................................ 193Rasigan Maharajh, Enver Motala, and Mario Scerri

11 Latvia: Repositioning of Academic Institutions in a Catching-Up Country ...................................................................... 219Anda Adamsone-Fiskovica, Janis Kristapsons, Erika Tjunina, and Inga Ulnicane-Ozolina

12 Russia: Universities in the Context of Reforming the National Innovation System ............................................................. 247Leonid Gokhberg, Tatiana Kuznetsova, and Stanislav Zaichenko

13 Germany: The Role of Universities in the Learning Economy ........... 261Ulrich Schmoch

14 Developing Universities: The Evolving Role of Academic Institutions in Denmark ................................................... 283Birgitte Gregersen and Jørgen Gulddahl Rasmussen

15 The Role of Academic Institutions in the National System of Innovation and the Debate in Sweden .............................................. 307Claes Brundenius, Bo Göransson, and Jan Ågren

Part III Synthesis

16 The Three Missions of Universities: A Synthesis of UniDev Project Findings ............................................... 329Claes Brundenius and Bo Göransson

About the Authors ........................................................................................... 353

Index ................................................................................................................. 361

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Contributors

Anda Adamsone-FiskovicaCentre for Science and Technology Studies, Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga, Latvia

Jan Ågren Research Policy Institute, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Rodrigo ArocenaUniversidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

Mats BennerResearch Policy Institute, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Claes BrundeniusResearch Policy Institute, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Tran Ngoc CaNational Council for Science and Technology Policy (NCSTP), Hanoi, Vietnam

Bitrina D. DiyamettCommission for Science and Technology, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Aurora Fernández GonzálezMinistry of Higher Education, Cuba

José Luis García CuevasMinistry of Higher Education, Cuba

Leonid GokhbergHigher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation

Bo GöranssonResearch Policy Institute, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Birgitte GregersenDepartment of Business Studies, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

xii Contributors

Jørgen Gulddahl RasmussenDepartment of Business Studies, Aalborg University, Denmark

Nguyen Vo HungNational Institute for S&T Policy and Strategy Studies (NISTPASS), Hanoi, Vietnam

Wang HaiyanChinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED), Ministry of S&T, Beijing, Peoples’ Republic of China

Janis KristapsonsCentre for Science and Technology Studies, Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga 1524, Latvia

Tatiana KuznetsovaHigher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation

Anne-Marie MaculanUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rasigan MaharajhInstitute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology, City of Tshwane, South Africa

José Manoel Carvalho de MelloUniversidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil

Luis Félix Montalvo ArrieteUniversity of Havana, Havana, Cuba

Enver MotalaInstitute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology, City of Tshwane, South Africa

Burton L.M. MwamilaCollege of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Jorge Núñez JoverUniversity of Havana, Havana, Cuba

Isarelis Pérez OnesUniversity of Havana, Havana, Cuba

Prasada ReddyResearch Policy Institute, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Thiago Borges RenaultUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

xiiiContributors

Mario ScerriInstitute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology, City of Tshwane, South Africa

Ulrich SchmochFraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Karlsruhe, Germany

Judith SutzUniversidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

Erika TjuninaCentre for Science and Technology Studies, Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga 1524, Latvia

Inga Ulnicane-OzolinaCentre for Science and Technology Studies, Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga 1524, Latvia

Zhou YuanNational Research Center for S&T for Development, Ministry of S&T, Beijing, Peoples’ Republic of China

Stanislav ZaichenkoHigher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation