Towards a Conceptual Understanding of an Effective Rural-Based Entrepreneurial University in South Africa

There is a considerable discussion about the entrepreneurial university concept in academia, likewise, debates on its different facets and overarching socio-economic benefits globally. However, the transformation pathways from traditional to entrepreneurial higher learning institutions in Africa are still under-researched. Similarly, while the concept contributes significantly to innovation and growth of developed countries, it is less clear how this can create meaningful value to stimulate local economy in developing economies on the African continent. This exploratory qualitative case study seeks to identify conditions that can serve as pathways for determining an effective rural-based entrepreneurial university with the potential to meet societal needs, as well as impact positively on local economy. A sample of 33, specifically, individuals with deep knowledge of entrepreneurial university, was drawn from diverse groups using snowball and purposive sampling techniques to co-interact the phenomenon. The data collection was performed following hybrid (physical and digital) methods. Excerpts drawn primarily from stakeholders based on semi-structured questions were fitted and modelled on Atlas-ti v8 software open coding system, for thematic data analysis. Five conditions emerged as key findings. These include (1) entrepreneurial knowledge and skills building; (2) integration of indigenous entrepreneurship systems; (3) engaged scholarship; (4) value creation and venturing, and (5) embedding resourceful stakeholders in the university value chain network. These conditions set a foundation for the systemic institutional design that follows. Future research may consider examining the conditions on a broader scale to develop an index for measuring a rural-based entrepreneurial university with the potential to foster local economic development agenda in South Africa.