Knowledge transfer between universities and smes and regional development. The role of the clusters as communities of practice

The Exchange of knowledge between universities and SMEs became a source of sustainable competitive advantages. The innovation capacity of SMEs is under pressure for various reasons since knowledge management is more costly and innovation readiness more difficult to be achieved. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) became in this context critical players in the knowledge-based economy to interact with small companies. The traditional functions of universities are the generation of knowledge (research) and its transmission (teaching) are reconsidered in order to better serve the managers. This paper investigate conditions SMEs and universities may better work together, assuming that a pro university-SMEs cooperation behaviour at the level of the SMEs managers and universities is an essential factor of an efficient transfer of knowledge. Evidence of this interaction from development regions of Romania are shown in order to identify emerging cooperation patterns. Another area this paper investigates is the interaction of universities and SMEs when they are bound together in a longer cooperation alliances, in clusters. Actions to develop clusters include universities as central resource. The research intends to review the role of the university in cluster development for Romanian development regions on their struggle to occupy a role in European smart specialization processes. As a main conclusion, the article argues that smart specialization and communities of practice are interconnected concepts enabling innovation processes in university-industry interaction. Knowledge transfer may be more efficient when clusters and universities are interacting on a long-term basis.