Creativity and Innovation in Polish Universities: The Knowledge Triangle Approach

Recently, the role of universities is gradually shifting from academic focus towards more entrepreneurial and innovation-oriented. This requires creativity and interaction, in terms of innovation, research and educational activities of universities. The challenge of developing creativity is crucial particularly for countries like Poland, which still do not belong to the leaders in innovation. The aim of this paper is to identify the position of Polish universities in terms of creativity in comparison to other EU countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The analysis is carried out using the “knowledge triangle” concept, encompassing involvement of universities in education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship. The analysis covers selected indicators characterizing each of the vertices of the knowledge triangle considered in the context of activities undertaken by universities. It is based on data obtained from Eurostat and OECD databases for the period of 2010–2016. A comparative analysis of these indicators showed that Poland stands out in the CEE region in terms of the relatively high share of the higher education sector in conducting scientific research and the availability of scientific staff resources. However, this does not translate into the leading position of Polish universities when it comes to creativity measured by citations or the number of patents. Poland's advantages in terms of creativity are only visible in industrial design. Therefore, the effects of the interactions within the “knowledge triangle” in Poland are insufficient to stimulate creativity and broaden the involvement of national actors in global research and innovation networks.