Title: 'Mode 3' universities and academic firms: thinking beyond the box trans-disciplinarity and nonlinear innovation dynamics within coopetitive entrepreneurial ecosystems

Authors: Elias G. Carayannis; Evangelos Grigoroudis; David F.J. Campbell; Dirk Meissner; Dimitra Stamati

Addresses: Department of Information Systems and Technology Management, School of Business, The George Washington University, Duquès Hall, Funger Hall, Suite 515C, 2201 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA ' School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, University Campus, Kounoupidiana, 73100 Chania, Greece ' Faculty for Interdisciplinary Studies (iff), Institute of Science Communication and Higher Education Research (WIHO), Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt, Schottenfeldgasse 29, A-1070 Vienna, Austria; Unit for Quality Enhancement (UQE), University of Applied Arts Vienna, Oskar Kokoschka-Platz 2, A-1010 Vienna, Austria ' Higher School of Economics, National Research University, Myasnitskaya Street, 9/11, 101000 Moscow, Russia ' Harokopion University of Athens, Eleftheriou Venizelou 70, Kallithea, 176 76 Athens, Greece

Abstract: The main objective of the paper is to examine if 'Mode 3' universities represent a new and advanced type of an entrepreneurial university, perhaps transcending the entrepreneurial university, and identify the specific characteristics of 'Mode 3' universities. According to its definition, a 'Mode 3' university represents a type of organisation capable of higher order learning and in this regard a type of open, highly complex, and non-linear knowledge production system that seeks and realises creative ways of combining, recombining, and integrating different principles of knowledge production and knowledge application (e.g., 'Mode 1' and 'Mode 2'). Thus, 'Mode 3' universities clearly encourage diversity and heterogeneity, while they emphasise and engender creative and innovative organisational contexts for research, education, and innovation. Several examples are offered in this context in order to demonstrate how and why the concept of 'Mode 3' universities is better endowed for addressing the current and future challenges compared to a simple 'entrepreneurial university' approach. The full exploration of 'Mode 3' universities furthermore demands a strong linkage and contextualisation with (entrepreneurial) ecosystems.

Keywords: academic firm; entrepreneurial university; innovation ecosystem; 'Mode 3' university; nonlinear innovation; trans-disciplinarity; thinking beyond the box; TB2; quadruple and quintuple helix innovation systems; higher education institution; HEI; coopetitive entrepreneurial ecosystems; fractal research; education and innovation ecosystems; FREIE.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2018.091714

International Journal of Technology Management, 2018 Vol.77 No.1/2/3, pp.145 - 185

Received: 10 May 2016
Accepted: 17 Jan 2017
Published online: 14 May 2018 *

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