O konceptu poduzetničkoga sveučilišta: ima li alternative?
About the Concept of Entrepreneurial University: Is There an Alternative?

Summary/Abstract: The crisis of the university in the 1970s, triggered by the reduction of budget resources, is experiencing its reprise today, as part of the global financial crisis. Although the contribution of universities to economic development through the standard functions of scientific research and education is considered unquestionable, it is questionable, whether these functions, in terms of the knowledge economy, are sufficient to retain the so far leading position of the universities as producers of knowledge and intellectual capital. This opens the door to new models of universities dominated by entrepreneurial university and its recent versions – the third generation universities. Both models emphasize the importance of the contribution of universities to economic development and their exposure to global competition. In this context, the paper analyzes the concept of entrepreneurial university, the historical context of origin, and theoretical and analytical frameworks that have led to a change in the paradigm of university research and the transformation from the traditional to the entrepreneurial university. The paper also explains the entrepreneurial activities of universities and provides a reference to the position of entrepreneurial universities in Croatia. The paper concludes that all universities, even those in countries with less developed innovation, such as Croatia, are exposed to globalization and internationalization, which inevitably forces them to change. Therefore, it is unlikely that the present way of functioning of universities under the state umbrella, without cooperation with the industry, will be sustainable in the long run.

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