Paul Benneworth is a senior researcher at the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies, University of Twente, the Netherlands, and Agderforskning, Kristiansand, Norway.

Chapter 1 Universities and regional development in peripheral regions Paul Benneworth & Lisa Nieth Chapter 2 Universities and neo-endogenous peripheral development: towards a systematic classification Paul Benneworth & Lisa Nieth Chapter 3 Towards a strategic alignment: Regional challenges and university tensions in peripheral geographies Rómulo Pinheiro Chapter 4 University roles in a peripheral Southern European region: Between traditional and 'engaged' roles through the provision of knowledge intensive business services Hugo Pinto, Elvira Uyarra, Manuel Fernandez-Esquinas Chapter 5 'Strange bird': A peripheral university college in a complex, peripheral region James Karlsen Chapter 6 Universities and Regional Economic Development: Engaging with the Periphery Nina Kyllingstad Chapter 7 Vysocina region: from a remote rural region straight into the virtual world Libor Prudký, Michaela Šmídová Chapter 8 Ústí region: learning hard about industry modernisation Inna ¿ábelková & Jan Kohoutek Chapter 9 Higher education institutions at the periphery of the periphery: creating sustainable economic development in Estonia Anne Keerberg Chapter 10 Universities and regional economic development in cross-border regions Jos van den Broek, Franziska Eckardt & Paul Benneworth Chapter 11 Constructing Regional Resilience in a Knowledge Economy Crisis - the case of the Nokia-led ICT Industry in Tampere Heli Kurikka, Jari Kolehmainen & Markku Sotarauta Chapter 12 Conceptualising the university-region economic development interface in peripheral regions Paul Benneworth and Lisa Nieth Chapter 13 Future perspectives on universities and peripheral regional development Lisa Nieth and Paul Benneworth

In a knowledge-based economy, universities are vital institutions. This volume explores the roles that universities can play in peripheral regions, contributing to processes of regional economic development and innovative growth.
Including a series of case studies drawn from Portugal, Norway, Finland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and the Dutch-German border region, this will be the first book to offer a comprehensive comparative overview of universities in European economically peripheral regions. These studies seek to explore the tensions that arise in peripheral regions where there may not be obvious matches between university activities and regional strengths.
Aimed at academics, policy-makers and practitioners working on regional innovation strategies, this volume brings a much-needed sense of realism and ambition for all those concerned with building successful regional societies at the periphery of the knowledge economy.