The entrepreneurial university as driver for economic growth and social change - Key strategic challenges

Limitations of the research on the various leadership and strategic issues facing universities seeking to become more entrepreneurial has led this special issue to focus on the management, development, and implementation of this vision. We have solicited original research on the strategic challenges that these universities currently encounter. Researchers in management and related disciplines have contributed to this field of inquiry, which is having growing implications for our universities and stakeholders in the social and economic spheres. We begin by tracing an overarching framework, to which we add brief descriptions of the contributing papers in this special issue. To conclude, we outline future research goals and discuss how, around the world, academic actors involved in university development - such as university managers and policy makers - could view the ideas presented here. •Entrepreneurial universities' decisions depend on a wide range of dynamic organizational capabilities.•There are synergetic combinations of environmental factors enabling universities becoming more entrepreneurial.•Teaching needs to develop mindsets that facilitate learning that is empowering, experiential, cooperative and reflective.•Universities need clear objectives for their entrepreneurship agenda and assess outcomes against these objectives.•University leaders need to internally define, visualize, and communicate the true meaning of an entrepreneurial university.