Strategies to fulfill the mission of education in the entrepreneurial university: a framework synthesis and focus group study

Education has long been the mission of universities. Nowadays, due to the importance of economic transformation from resource-based to knowledge-based and the key role of universities in this line, universities move toward more innovation and entrepreneurship and are known as entrepreneurial universities. By doing so, the education mission is also evolved. This study is a mixed quantitative study that aims to suggest strategies to carry out an entrepreneurial university's educational mission. The study answers the question of which strategies can lead to fulfilling the education mission in Entrepreneurial University. To do so, it systematically reviews the Iranian literature. Focusing on Iranian literature, we consider not only dimensions mentioned by international researchers but also local dimensions in the context of Iran. The study uses a framework synthesis approach to elicit a conceptual framework. It also uses a focus group approach to identify educational strategies corresponding to the framework. The results reveal an increasing trend of Iranian researchers' concern about Entrepreneurial University. The conceptual framework consists of three key dimensions (students, staff, and institution), nine categories, and eighteen sub-categories. Corresponding to the sub-categories, the focus group identified twenty-three strategies. The themes mentioned in the literature are presented as example actions in explanation for each strategy. The finding of current research is an initial step for other researchers and policymakers in a better understanding of strategies and actions toward entrepreneurial education.