Entrepreneurialism Meets Sustainability: Exploring Tensions in the Transition to Sustainable Entrepreneurial Universities

Despite widespread reports indicating that universities adopting an entrepreneurial model face escalating and diversified tensions in contemporary society, especially concerning sustainable development, limited attention has been given to how different higher education contexts influence these tensions. This paper addresses this research gap through a conceptual analysis and empirical examination of how a university’s profile, shaped by internal and external factors, affects the tensions encountered in pursuing sustainability objectives. Drawing from a conceptual framework developed primarily within Western contexts, we empirically investigate two distinct cases from Brazil and China. Our findings validate the framework and reveal that a university’s type—classic or regionally embedded—significantly influences the nature of these tensions. Classic universities predominantly experience tensions related to internal dynamics, such as institutional norms and values, while regionally embedded universities face external pressures from markets and stakeholders. A particularly noteworthy insight is that a strong institutional commitment to sustainability can alleviate specific tensions, such as conflicts between local and global priorities, and between social and economic objectives. Finally, the paper provides actionable insights for policymakers and university administrators, recommending strategies to support universities in their transition towards becoming sustainable entrepreneurial institutions.