Korrie Melis, Elles Bulder (p), Peter Meister-Broekema

Stefan Rehak

Migration; and more precisely international migration; is currently a ‘hot topic’ for especially policymakers and politicians in EU member states. Our Horizon Europe project PREMIUM-EU focuses on relations between migration and regional development. Ultimate aim of the project is to develop a Regional Policy Dashboard (RPD) that could support policymakers in regions to formulate policies that help to enhance regional development by migration.

One of the modules within the RPD, is the regional development effects module (RDEM) that will map the impact of migration on regions. We will reflect on the basic considerations and challenges underlying the development of this RDEM. Starting point of this exploration are the regional development-indicators developed by Andy Pike and others (2016).

The goal of this paper is to formulate an approach for assessing the relation between migration and regional development. As Woods et al. (2016) discuss international migration has a transformational impact on rural regions. Therefore migration could be beneficial for the economic, cultural and social development of rural regions and thus innovation in these regions. To this end, we provided an overview of indicators for this relation and conducted a comparative research for various regions in the European Union, using existing data sources and indices, such as EUROSTAT. Our study highlights various theoretical and methodological challenges for carrying out such comparative research. For example, it is challenging to come to a theoretically sound connection of the various indicators. In addition, the availability of data at the regional level is a concern. Therefore, we recommend using additional and alternative data sources and indices, such as European Innovation Scoreboard, to create more complete data sets and a better understanding of the relations between migration and regional development.

Magdalena Wisniewska (p)

Elles Bulder

The aim of this paper is to understand how participants and stakeholders of research processes within universities recognize the possibility of creating impact on the economy, society and the environment. In order to complete the paper, several steps have been taken. First, the desk method was implied. Based on literature, a comprehensive view of the university, economic theories on the relationship between human activity and the environment, the concept of public value and the concept of responsible research and innovation (RRI) were discussed. The empirical part was a workshop organized to collect information about the potential impact of scientific projects. The workshop proved that such impact is carried out and that appropriate activities to disseminate the results of research have the opportunity to achieve sustainable positive economic, social or environmental changes. The workshop was conducted on a relatively small sample and participants had already participated in social/economic/environmental accountability activities. However, it was possible to obtain the main ideas of how the scientific and innovation processes developed at universities can create public value by positively influencing the economy, society and the environment.

Maki Ikegami (p)

Magdalena Wisniewska

This study addresses the existing gap in knowledge concerning the transformation of university campuses into innovation hubs. University managers often lack a clear roadmap on how to cultivate an environment conducive to innovation. The Ministry of Education, Cultures, Sports, Science and Technology-Japan has also addressed a new concept of campus called “innovation commons”, however, a clear understanding of its roadmap is still lacking among practitioners of universities. The final goal of this research is to bridge this gap by developing an assessment tool that outlines the essential conditions for a campus to evolve into a successful innovation hub.

The tool aims to provide a systematic framework for evaluating key elements within university campuses that impacts their potential as innovation hubs. By adopting this tool at a campus, it will be possible to develop an action plan for an innovation hub based on their campus’s physical conditions and societal conditions of the university.

The research methodology involved a qualitative data analysis for the responses from 108 participants through a non-structured questionnaire. By adopting a content analysis under the framework of sustainable campus management, social engagement, accessibility, spatial design, facility and equipment provisions, people's interaction dynamics, personal activities, traits of the university, and the management system are found as critical aspects to be considered for the assessment tool. These dimensions are tagged as pivotal contributors to the creation of an innovation-friendly campus environment.

The questionnaire results provide valuable insights, the next phase of the research involves the development of specific criteria for assessment based on these findings. This ongoing work will enhance the precision and applicability of the assessment, ensuring its relevance across diverse university contexts.

This tool, once fully developed, has the potential to guide university leaders in systematically transforming their campuses into dynamic innovation hubs, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge and societal progress.

Stefan Rehak (p), Miroslav Spurek

Maki Ikegami

This article focuses on examining the contribution of universities to the creation of regional innovations in Europe. Regional innovation production is a key factor in the long-term economic growth of regions, making it crucial to understand how universities influence this process. While the majority of innovations originate from businesses, universities play an increasingly active role in the commercialization of their research results and collaborate more intensively in the innovation activities of firms. The article builds on existing research, highlighting the growing role of universities in commercializing research and fostering closer collaboration with businesses. Studies demonstrate that university research contributes to regional innovations not only through direct effects but also through indirect effects in the form of knowledge spillovers benefiting proximate firms.
One of the major challenges in researching regional innovations is the availability of indicators for the patent activity of universities in Europe. Differences in legislation regarding ownership rights to academic patents among countries significantly complicate data collection. While some patents resulting from university research are owned by the universities themselves (university owned), there are cases where ownership rights remain with the researchers (university invented).
This study explores the contribution of universities to regional innovation in Europe by utilizing a comprehensive database of university-owned and university-invented patents identified within the OECD RegPat database. The authors focus on the development of academic patenting in Europe and its geographical dimension. The second part of the article analyzes the significance of research and development expenditures and knowledge stocks of universities in the production of regional innovations using the knowledge production function. The modeling utilizes data on patent applications in European NUTS 2 regions from 2008 to 2016. This article contributes to a better understanding of the role of universities in the regional innovation ecosystem in Europe.