Believe it or Not, Change is Good: How Entrepreneurial Universities are Changing the Game for Open Access
By Nicolaj Petersen and Pernille Christiansen
Editor’s Note: Today’s post was co-written by Drs. Nicolaj Petersen, an OSEI Expert, and Pernille Christiansen, a researcher and lecturer at UCL University College. The blog piece is a direct follow-up to a previous article, “Open Science Is Reshaping the World—And Denmark’s Blueprint Is at the Center.”
In this rapidly evolving world of technological, environmental, and social challenges, entrepreneurial universities are starting to defy the traditional model of institutional knowledge creation and sharing, a model that is arguably struggling to solve real-world problems due to individualistic thinking. In fact, this defiance is the key to shaping the future of innovation and open knowledge sharing. These institutions are no longer passive generators of knowledge previously locked behind paywalls; rather, they are transforming and reimagining how openness can better serve the 21st century of research.
The Power of Three
What exactly makes a university “entrepreneurial?” To put it briefly, entrepreneurial universities are institutions that use their educational and research capabilities as the driving force toward sustainable innovation and regional development. Through research, teaching, and societal engagement, these universities are at the heart of a revolutionary shift marked by action versus passivity, adopting a broader, more integrated role in open society than ever seen before.
This evolution isn’t happening without reason. Emerging from the need to quickly address real-world problems, it is clear that universities, industries, and government bodies need to work together. This partnership (refer to the Triple Helix model) has become the blueprint for this transformation.
By extending beyond their traditional dual mission of research and teaching, entrepreneurial universities are embracing a “third mission,” turning to three-way collaboration to make research more transparent and accessible, dismantle knowledge silos, and translate knowledge into real-world impact.
This approach is defined by five key capabilities:
- Technology Transfer: Master the commercialization of academic research through IP management, licensing, and spin-offs.
- Entrepreneurial Education: Equip students and staff not just with accessible knowledge, but with the skills to think and act with ambition.
- Support Structures: Help students and researchers turn ideas into businesses by providing workspaces, practical guidance, laboratory access, and connections to venture funding or investors.
- Open Innovation: Embrace collaboration and democratize knowledge sharing, making research data, methodologies, and findings freely accessible to advance scientific progress.
- Network Engagement: Act as a vital, transparent network to broader entrepreneurial ecosystems for students, startups, researchers, public actors, and civil society.
Looking from a bird’s-eye view, entrepreneurial universities across the globe have adapted to their regional needs and supported this third mission, a short list of which we have provided below:
Denmark’s Mission at a Glance
While this transformation isn’t confined to a single region, Denmark, a country dedicated to Open Access, is particularly taking great strides. Consider UCL University College (UCL), for which the entrepreneurial university model is deeply embedded in its everyday practices. In fact, you could say it is a part of the institution’s DNA.
“We are responsible not just for reproducing knowledge, but for creating interaction, value and new knowledge that benefits our students, aspiring entrepreneurs, and society as a whole,” explains Asger Rabølle Nielsen, Director of UCL Business.
At UCL, this philosophy comes alive through practical action. Each academic term, students work with real clients, often locally, to address real-world problems. This level of transparent problem-solving and knowledge sharing mutually benefits both parties: businesses gain fresh perspectives and students develop real-world skills.
Where Theory Meets Practice
Beyond coursework, students can participate in the 48-hour challenge during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), which challenges students to tackle local issues within a 48-hour timeframe to mimic real life conditions.
“UCL plays a central role as a bridge between theory and practice,” notes Alex Randrup Thomassen, Chief Consultant at the Confederation of Danish Industry and former Project Lead of GEW. “Students are not just learning about entrepreneurship—they’re trying it for real.”
Through initiatives like “It’s a Match,” UCL partners with other institutions like the University of Southern Denmark to connect students with startups through curated matchmaking events. As Søren Land, Head of Incubation & Partnerships at SDU RIO, observes: “UCL is, like SDU Startup Station, a foundational pillar of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.” Other open initiatives like UCL Boxen serve as a launchpad for student startups and an innovation space, allowing students to work in interdisciplinary teams alongside SMEs, municipalities, and research partners. As UCL has found, the only way to get results is to act. The aim is not just to learn about entrepreneurship—but to do it.
Opening the Silo
If you were to ask how to know if this transformation is successful, the answer wouldn’t be so simple. However, we’ll know we’re headed in the right direction by continuing to question and interpret uncertainty, staying critical of established theory and knowledge, and breaking down the isolation of siloed thinking. Successful entrepreneurial universities will have learned to be agile rather than rigid. They are guided by core values and deeply connected rather than isolated. Working beyond business firms or startups, they understand that new business models emerge through collaborative efforts and open knowledge sharing without paywalls rather than individual intellect. Their success depends on creativity, adaptability, and alignment with evolving market demands.
Expanding the Global Playing Field
Entrepreneurial universities are no longer a fringe idea—they have become vital infrastructure for the innovation economy and sustainable development, serving as regional anchors with global outlooks.
Through partnerships, education, and open science practices, they’re becoming central to addressing today’s grand challenges. Rather than gatekeeping knowledge in silos and behind paywalls, these institutions are demonstrating how universities can act as platforms for fresh collaborations and societal evolution.
As editors, project managers, and researchers, we are observing this change worldwide, and it’s a shift made more possible through easy, open access to knowledge.
The question isn’t necessarily whether universities should become more entrepreneurial. It’s how quickly they can transform to answer the world’s most pressing problems. For researchers, students, educators, and policymakers who recognize the needs of a world that demands both knowledge and action, the invitation is clear: the rise of higher education’s influence on the world has only just begun, and it starts with making knowledge more accessible and opening the doors to collaboration to create a research ecosystem that serves everyone.
Discover open access articles about entrepreneurial universities on the AGOSR database:
Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees? a Systems Approach to the Entrepreneurial University
Entrepreneurial University Challenges and Critical Success Factors to Thrive
