Learn more about our mission, strategic objectives and how the Community is working to advance the 4th Generation University model.
The 4th Generation University community was founded to help like-minded institutions become 4th Generation Universities. We do this by developing and promoting the concept, sharing expertise, and developing insightful indicators, so that universities and their ecosystems can drive socio=economic growth, solve societal challenges, and better tell their stories.
“So many universities have the same questions about discovering a new role. How do we do this? How do we explain it? How can we measure it in terms of performance? The enormous support of the community inspires clearer answers.”
Universities have always evolved as societal values have changed – first focusing on education and later, research. These are considered the 1st and 2nd generations of university development.
In 2009, the notion of a 3rd Generation University was introduced to describe a university that becomes a more active participant in value creation. A key part of this idea is knowledge transfer – the university generates value and “transfers” it to the private or public sector.
More recently, universities have started moving beyond knowledge transfer to enabling value creation in the innovation ecosystem more broadly.
The role of creating value in an ecosystem is based on mission-driven collaborative knowledge creation, open innovation and multi-stakeholder partnerships in the setting of a regional innovation ecosystem. A university driven by these values can be referred to as a 4th Generation University.
In 2024, TU Eindhoven, based in the Netherlands, partnered with Elsevier to explore indicators to measure the progress of a 4th Generation University. Significant and positive interest in the report came from around the world. Subsequently, Elsevier and TU Eindhoven sought feedback on the concept from a broader group of universities from around the world. This group of 12 experts evolved the thinking further and founded the Community to open the discussion to all universities.
Universities contribute to regional transformation by orchestrating the local innovation ecosystem
Universities are recognized and celebrated for their impact
Universities can sustainably build their capacities
- Sharing best practices on strategy development, execution and measurement through webinars, conferences, case studies
- Understanding impact and opportunities to improve it
- Developing indicators and benchmarks to demonstrate success
- Building an extensive network of global universities dedicated to achieving the strategic objectives
- Raising awareness of the role of the 4th Generation Universities and the Community
4th Generation University (4GU) is a concept focused on how universities orchestrate regional innovation ecosystems to achieve societal and economic impact through partnerships across industry, government, and civil society. The 4GU approach helps institutions tell compelling, evidence-based stories about their role in orchestrating innovation ecosystems and delivering impact for society.
Universities face growing pressure to prove their overall societal value — particularly at the regional or ‘place’ level.
University leaders need to build global profiles and reputation, but balance this with embedding a mission-led strategy to deliver regional impact into day-to-day operations and long-term planning.
At the same time, they face evolving regulatory and policy environments, intense competition for talent and funding as well as a rapidly changing technology landscape.
4GU supports universities in strengthening their regional contribution and clearly articulating their impact to governments, funders, and communities.
The 4GU community is designed primarily for:
- University leadership, to who aspire to be or already are a 4th Generation University.
- Individuals from universities, corporations, government agencies, or non-university organizations who are interested in advancing innovative ecosystems.
The community brings universities and practitioners together through:
- Events, webinars, and meetings to share experience and best practices on strategy development, execution, and indicators
- A shared framework for understanding and applying the 4GU concept
- Building your network with like-minded universities globally
- Access to tools, indicators, and expert insight that underpin all 4GU offerings
The 4GU indicators are qualitative and quantitative measures designed to help universities understand and articulate how they interact with and contribute to regional innovation ecosystems and societal impact.
We are developing and testing indicators across governance, education, research, and value co-creation, aligned to the 4GU concept that will help universities better understand and demonstrate their impact.
4GU is a collaboration with a board of senior university leaders from institutions around the world, supported by Elsevier as industry partner.
Yes. A 4GU must demonstrate that they embed a mission-led strategy to deliver regional impact into day-to-day operations and long-term planning in order to deliver regional, place-based impact. While universities must have regional impact to be a 4th Generation University, it does not mean that they only have a regional impact; they can also have a global agenda.
No, universities small and large, new or old, niche or comprehensive can be a 4th Generation University; They simply have to be recognized academic degree-awarding institution, or research university and show they embed a mission-led strategy to delivery regional impact into day-to-day operations and long-term.
There are several 4GU offerings in development:
- Recognition as a 4th Generation University (Free): Board review of a university’s alignment with the 4GU concept. Email application@4thgenuniversity.com to learn more.
- Events, webinars, and networking to share experience and best practices on strategy development, execution, and indicators
- Suggested indicators to understand and apply the 4GU Concept
Region
The region of focus in which a university is orchestrating the innovation ecosystem which will typically be only a part of the university’s country, although it might cross the borders with nearby countries.
Innovation Ecosystem
The combination of university, industry, government and civil society, and their interactions which aim to tackle societal challenges and catalyze regional economic growth, as defined by the university.
- University in the context of 4GU, this is a Higher Education Institution who issues PhDs and has published more than 500 publications, indexed in Scopus, in the last 5 years.
- Industry is defined as commercial enterprise of any size or industrial specialism operating with headquarters or branch operations in the region
- Government is defined as local, state or federal/national governmental organizations that make policy and regulations governing the region
- Civil society is defined as civic associations, community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), charitable and/or faith-based organizations, and other associations and foundations that represent the citizens of the region, and individual citizens as a collective.
Orchestrate
University representatives are embedded in strategic decision-making groups that drive the focus, direction and competitiveness of the region. This itself is embedded in the strategy of the university.
Partnerships
Participation of university in partnerships with government, industry and civil society across education, research, value co-creation and governance, in line with the strategic vision for the ecosystem.
