University-Industry Collaboration for Inclusive Growth One of the many responsibilities of universities is to provide programmes that are aimed at offering students a career as an expert in industry or the public sector. In addition, universities also have the added responsibility to conduct research and work for regional development (Pinheiro, et al., 2012; Borah, et al., 2021). The role of universities in regional development and strategy making has been increasing, with a focus on societal impact (Gunasekara, 2006; Fonseca et al., 2021). In this context, the importance of knowledge as discussed by Etzkowitz et al. (2000), becomes crucial: there has been a shift towards knowledge-based regional development models, where universities, industry and government act together to create innovative (and thus resilient) regions. The starting point for the SUCSESS project was the triple helix model that emphasises the collaboration between university, industry, and government for inclusive regional development. In South African universities, research and education are also considered key tools for developing communities within regions, for creating positive social and economic impacts and for increasing inclusivity. When the concept of inclusion is added to regional development, it refers to collaboration, co-creation and participatory actions in the process of defining the objectives and means for development. A fair sharing of the development benefits is stressed as well (Pike et al., 2007). Thus, instead of focusing on economic growth alone, inclusive regional development takes a holistic approach, and includes economic, social, environmental, political and cultural concerns (see Pike et al., 2007). The main aim is to create and maintain wellbeing that is distributed equally within the region, and thus, combat challenges such as poverty, unemployment and inequality. The collaboration between industry and universities is considered an important driver for innovation and economic development (O´Dwyer, Filieri & O´Malley, 2022). The benefits of university-industry collaboration should include benefits for both parties, for example in the form of revenues, new or improved products, improved competitiveness, access to public grants or creating business opportunities (Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa, 2015). In addition, collaboration also generates institution-related and social-related benefits, such as the exposure of the students (and teachers) to practical problems, new ideas, or state-of-theart practices (or technologies), acquisition of up-to-date equipment, providing the partners opportunities for influencing development objectives, building credibility and trust, accessing wider (also international) networks of expertise, serving the communities as well as enhancing the reputation of both universities and businesses (Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa, 2015: 398; O´Dwyer, et al., 2022). 9
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