Introduction

Research and development (R and D) have long been key components of what have generally been called “research universities.” There is also recognition that in order to stay on the cutting edge of R and D, higher education institutions (HEIs) must increasingly strive for innovative R and D; this has important implications for the structure and governance of higher education (HE) as well as numerous other factors of HE change and transformation. Furthermore, in a manner that may be unprecedented in the period of the so-called modern university, innovation has been thrust upon the university almost as a form of social responsibility. Interestingly and overwhelmingly, due to the role the university is performing within the emergent knowledge society, innovation in the “knowledge-transfer” functions of the university—the teaching role foremost among them—has assumed increasingly greater importance (Neubauer 2011). In this book we would like to focus our attention on several of these factors including, but not limited to, the following suggestions.