University as a catalyst for social innovation: A social science perspective with an Indian context

The global community heavily relies on universities, not only to create knowledge, but also to impact social values and social enterprises. The discussion about how higher education institutions serve as catalysts for social innovation has received much attention, especially in scholarly theoretical discourse across research, engagement, and collaboration. This paper adopts a social science framework to analyse several cases from various regions, emphasizing case studies in India, as the profound impact universities make on social dilemmas come to fruition. We conclude that with high integration into social systems, universities can innovate in substantial ways and effect social change or transformation. Additionally, empirical, policy, and comparative case study data provides depth to the discussion on a global scale.