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Perceptions of entrepreneurial universities in China: a triangulated analysis

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Abstract

Following the West, China exhibits a proactive attitude and conservative actions to developing entrepreneurial universities. This article deconstructs such a paradoxical approach by analysing the scholarly literature, policy discourses, and empirical data and their various perceptions of entrepreneurial universities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). We conducted 71 interviews in four case universities to obtain empirical data for triangulation with the literature and policies. Our main research findings include the following: (1) there is a desire to introduce the concept of entrepreneurial universities from the West, along with their characteristics and aims; (2) China’s policy discourse of excellence and pragmatism affects entrepreneurship education and technology transfer; and (3) an emerging identity of entrepreneurial universities is constrained by attitudes and barriers at the institutional level. China’s perceptions and practices reflect a lack of sustainability of and fragmented approach to developing entrepreneurial universities, with strong implications for establishing entrepreneurial universities elsewhere.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, Jun-hua Zhu, upon reasonable request.

Notes

  1. The policies considered in this study include national laws, regulations, and administrative orders promulgated by relevant departments of the government. From 2009 to 2016, 153 policies on technology transfer were issued by the Chinese government and relevant authorities (Wang & Zhang, 2018). From 2016 to 2021, dozens of policies were consecutively issued by governments at different levels.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge and appreciate the detailed and valuable comments and suggestions from the reviewers and the support we received during data collection from the two research projects entitled “Research on Challenges and Institutional Innovation in the Integrated Development of Education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area” (AGA200016) and “Accelerating the Development of a Global Innovation and Technology Hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area: The Roles of Public Research Universities in Hong Kong (S2018.A7.006.18S). We thank the participants from the four Chinese universities for sharing their views and the time they committed to the interviews.

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  1. Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China

    Jun-hua Zhu & Rui Yang

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  1. Jun-hua Zhu
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Zhu, Jh., Yang, R. Perceptions of entrepreneurial universities in China: a triangulated analysis. High Educ 87, 819–838 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01038-4

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