به سوی دانشگاه کارآفرینی مدل حمایت از توسعه اقتصادی مبتنی بر دانش: مطالعه موردی دانشگاه ملی سنگاپور

In common with other Newly Industrialized Economies in Asia, Singapore is moving toward a knowledge-based strategy for growth. Increasing prominence has been given to the role of Singapore’s universities in stimulating economic growth through industrially relevant research, technology commercialization, high-tech spin-offs, attracting foreign talent, and inculcating entrepreneurial mindsets. The National University of Singapore (NUS) is examined as a case study of how East Asian universities are responding to the globalization of the knowledge economy. It is argued that a shift toward an “entrepreneurial university” model [Etzkowitz, H., Webster, A., Gebhart, C., & Terra, B. R. C. (2000). The future of the university and the university of the future: Evolution of ivory tower to entreprenenurial paradigm. Research Policy, 29(2), 313–330] is critical for NUS to contribute effectively to Singapore’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.

In common with other Newly Industrialized Economies (NIEs) in Asia, Singapore is moving toward a knowledge-based strategy for economic growth (Wong & Singh, 2005). Policy makers have charted a course for Singapore’s transition from an investment-driven economy to an innovation-driven economy, emphasizing the building of intellectual capital and its commercialization to create value and jobs. While the role of Singapore’s universities in nurturing talent has always been recognized, in the current period of economic transformation, increasing prominence has been given to their role in stimulating economic growth through industrially relevant research, technology commercialization, high-tech spin-offs, attraction of foreign talent, and injecting an entrepreneurial mindset among its graduates. This paper examines how the National University of Singapore (NUS), the leading university in Singapore, changes its role in the Singapore economy as a case study of how universities in East Asia are responding to the globalization of the knowledge economy.

In summary, our empirical analysis indicates that NUS’ contribution to national economic development has changed qualitatively in the period before and after 2000, shifting from being primarily a manpower provider and knowledge creator to take on a more visible role in knowledge commercialization through increased patenting, licensing to private industry and spinning-off new ventures. Although the shift toward an “entrepreneurial university” model may not be the sole cause, and some elements of the model may actually have begun in the early and mid-1990s, in parallel with the implementation of the first and second National Science and Technology Plan, the empirical evidence presented earlier are consistent with the hypothesis that universities need to adopt key elements of the entrepreneurial university model in order to contribute more effectively to the commercialization and transfer of university technology to private industry. While the specific governance model (e.g., the Enterprise Cluster approach) and initiatives/programs (e.g., the seed fund program) adopted may be unique to the Singapore context and may not be applicable to other contexts, the reform experience of NUS may nonetheless be instructive for other East Asian universities seeking to develop their own entrepreneurial university model.