Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pftt2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-20T12:21:40.954Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Mission and Responsibilities of Innovative Universities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2018

Lei Zhang ,
Ji’An Liu  and
Jie Zhang
Lei Zhang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China. Email: jzhang1@sjtu.edu.cn
Ji’An Liu
Affiliation:
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China. Email: jzhang1@sjtu.edu.cn
Jie Zhang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China. Email: jzhang1@sjtu.edu.cn
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article is adapted from a speech delivered at the ‘2016 University Presidents Forum’ on 7 April 2016. Modern human society confronts two great challenges: one from the conflict between nature and humankind, the other from the clash of different civilizations. As one of the most innovative components of society, research universities should shoulder the responsibilities for, and contribute to the sustainable development of, human society and the peaceful development of the world. One possible road to take for research universities is to accelerate building innovative universities, and hand-in-hand develop an innovation network with other innovative components of society. Here, the concept of an innovative university, beyond the perspective of a single innovative component, refers to a university with an innovation capacity as well as an organizer, connector and coordinator of various innovative components, (1) adding value through innovation and creating excellence; (2) acquiring the competitiveness for resources, and optimizing and upgrading itself; and (3) developing the capability of consolidating high quality resources through openness, sharing and collaboration. However, research universities should realize that neither the capacity of acquiring nor consolidating high quality resources can be achieved by an individual university or universities in a single region. That means future innovation should be made through networks. Only those who have access to the key nodes of the network can stand on the central stage of the global innovation system. Thus, an innovative university plays an irreplaceable role in the formation and function of such an innovation network to sustain its position in the global innovation system. These are the mission and responsibilities of the leading research universities.

Type
Conflicts and Dialogues between Science and Humanities
Information
European Review , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , May 2018 , pp. 311 - 318
Copyright
© Academia Europaea 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Notes and References

1. Kerr, C. (2001) Commentaries on the Golden Age of the Research University. In The Uses of the University (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press), pp. 141–163.Google Scholar
2. Walshok, M.L. (1995) Knowledge without Boundaries: What America’s Research Universities Can Do for the Economy, the Workplace, and the Community. The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass).Google Scholar
3. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2003) Ecosystems and Human Well-being (Vol. 200) (Washington, DC: Island Press).Google Scholar
4. Long-ping, Y. (2014) Development of hybrid rice to ensure food security. Rice Science, 21(1), pp. 1–2.Google Scholar
5. Shang, X., Wang, X., Zhang, D., Chen, W., Chen, X. and Kong, H. (2012) An improved SWAT-based computational framework for identifying critical source areas for agricultural pollution at the lake basin scale. Ecological Modelling, 226, pp. 1–10.Google Scholar
6. Pacala, S. and Socolow, R. (2004) Stabilization wedges: Solving the climate problem for the next 50 years with current technologies. Science, 305(5686), pp. 968–972.Google Scholar
7. Huntington, S.P. (2000) The Clash of Civilizations? In Culture and Politics (Palgrave Macmillan US), pp. 99–118.Google Scholar
8. Bijian, Z. (2005) China’s ‘peaceful rise’ to great-power status. Foreign Affairs, 18–24.Google Scholar
9. Swaine, M.D. (2015) Chinese views and commentary on the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. China Leadership Monitor, 47, 1–24.Google Scholar
10. Geiger, R.L. (1986) To Advance Knowledge: The Growth of American Research Universities, 1900–1940 (New York: Oxford University Press).Google Scholar
11. Wu, J. (2011) On Top of Tides (in Chinese) (Beijing: China Publishing House of Electronics Industry).Google Scholar
12. Schwab, K. (2016) The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Geneva: World Economic Forum).Google Scholar
13. Foster, J.G., Rzhetsky, A. and Evans, J.A. (2015) Tradition and innovation in scientists’ research strategies. American Sociological Review, 80(5), pp. 875–908.Google Scholar
14. Clark, B. (2015) The character of the entrepreneurial university. International Higher Education, (38).Google Scholar
15. Coaldrake, P. and Stedman, L. (1999) Academic Work in the Twenty-first Century (Canberra: Higher Education Division, Training and Youth Affairs).Google Scholar
16. Sampat, B.N. and Mowery, D.C. (2005) Universities in national innovation systems. In: J. Fagerberg (Eds), The Oxford Handbook of Innovation (Oxford: Oxford University Press).Google Scholar
17. Powell, W.W. and Grodal, S. (2005) Networks of innovators. In: J. Fagerberg, (Eds), The Oxford Handbook of Innovation (Oxford: Oxford University Press).Google Scholar
18. Etzkowitz, H. and Leydesdorff, L. (2000) The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and ‘Mode 2’ to a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations. Research Policy, 29(2), pp. 109–123.Google Scholar
19.Chinese C9 League members: Peking University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Nanjing University, University of Science and Technology of China, Xi’an Jiaotong University, and Harbin Institute of Technology.Google Scholar
20.Hefei Statement on the Ten Characteristics of Contemporary Research Universities Announced By AAU, LERU, GO8 and C9. http://www.leru.org/files/publications/Hefei_statement.pdf (accessed on 1 February 2017).Google Scholar