MYTH AND REALITY OF ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITIES IN IRAN

Abstract

Development of infrastructures and facilities shows has started entrepreneurship journey in Iranian scientific system. Thus, Iranian entrepreneurial university is no myth, but it is not yet a fully reality especially on social entrepreneurship. The current university situations unveil the complex and challenging journey ahead and suggest initiatives to transform Iranian universities into more entrepreneurial institutions. There are two main necessary conditions for this vital journey. One, Iranian universities must pay close attention to the coherence between them and the environment. Also, universities must avoid the ivory tower attitude and take into careful consideration the specificities of their context and the needs of the stakeholders. Second, it is need to change academic culture and attitudes and promote and diffuse entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurial values within each institution. Turning the traditional university into an entrepreneurial university is a cultural matter, and is the essence in role of embedding entrepreneurship educations especially people skill training. Based on this study, shaping and effectiveness of entrepreneurial university don't possible without systematic development of skill training and entrepreneurial education for students, faculty members, managers and staff, and reinforcement of entrepreneurial attitudes in university human resources. Also, the main weakness of academic entrepreneurship is overemphasis of the economic technical entrepreneurship and low attention on socio-cultural entrepreneurship. One of the key perspectives of the third generation university is development of professional skills and competences and empowerment of students and faculty in direction of national development process and society problems solving. In the academic entrepreneurship journey, we must eliminate weaknesses, strength strengths and increase universities responsibility and accountability. Entrepreneurial university and the 3G University should serve society in socio-economic dimensions.