The significance of partnerships to future university missions: A systematic literature review

In this era of knowledge-intensive and innovation-focused economies, university missions are pivoting. Universities need to consider new and varied ways of working, including developing key partnerships, collaborations, and engagements with various stakeholders and end users. This paper presents an integrative literature review providing insight into the partnerships universities typically embrace to inform future partnership practices. A total of 751 abstracts from peer-reviewed articles published between 2008 and 2018 were examined and categorised, aligning with the pillars of university business: Teaching and Learning, Research, and Service. The review also includes identification of the types of journals partnership research is predominately published in, and the disciplines and fields that dominate research reporting on partnerships. This paper highlights trends in the findings around patterns of partnership engagements in higher education, discussing how funding models, university agendas, and the historical value placed on different disciplines influence the uptake of and worth placed on partnerships.