Abstract

Our study aims to illustrate the contribution of the settlement of a knowledge- intensive hub in terms of innovation, technology and knowledge transfer processes. The main theme of the study is the Hub of the «Federico II» University of Naples, the San Giovanni Hub («SGH»), a university campus and a research centre which host laboratories, companies and a hybrid form of advanced training programmes in collaboration with multinational companies. An explorative analysis of the «SGH phenomenon» will be presented. Indeed, the theoretical focus of the study is based on the distinctive characteristics of the «Civic University», a concept useful to highlight the transition from an entrepreneurial ecosystem to the university «engagement». Since this is a transposition of the quadruple helix approach, where the Society is the fourth category (helix) taken into consideration (alongside the Institutions, the University and the Government), the reference to the university «engagement» helps overcome the vision of the University as an entity based on purely entrepreneurial principles. The outcomes of this study can be a valid tool both for university governance and managers of local institutions to promote or improve knowledge transfer mechanisms and entrepreneurial and social innovation activities, creating and developing value for the Hub and in the area where the latter is embedded.