Technology Transfer and University Engagement as an Interpretation of Local Innovation Processes. An Explorative Analysis

Our study aims to illustrate the contribution of the settlement of a knowledge-intensive hub in terms of innovation, technology and knowledge transferprocesses. The main theme of the study is the Hub of the «Federico II» Universityof Naples, the San Giovanni Hub («SGH»), a university campus and aresearch centre which host laboratories, companies and a hybrid form of advancedtraining programmes in collaboration with multinational companies. Anexplorative analysis of the «SGH phenomenon» will be presented. Indeed, thetheoretical focus of the study is based on the distinctive characteristics of the«Civic University», a concept useful to highlight the transition from an entrepreneurialecosystem to the university «engagement». Since this is a transpositionof the quadruple helix approach, where the Society is the fourth category (helix)taken into consideration (alongside the Institutions, the University and theGovernment), the reference to the university «engagement» helps overcome thevision of the University as an entity based on purely entrepreneurial principles.The outcomes of this study can be a valid tool both for university governanceand managers of local institutions to promote or improve knowledge transfermechanisms and entrepreneurial and social innovation activities, creating and developingvalue for the Hub and in the area where the latter is embedded.