Universities’ roles in regional development and evaluating their quality: A systematic literature review

Recent societal and environmental challenges have necessitated universities expanding their contributions to regional development beyond economic impact, leading to a growing body of scholarly work across diverse contexts. At the same time, resource constraints and rising accountability demands have underscored the need for improved evaluation approaches. In response, this study conducts a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature to synthesize how universities’ aims, strategies, and practices in regional development are examined and assessed. Our analysis encompasses both economic and societal dimensions, as well as the mechanisms and indicators used to evaluate these activities. The findings reveal a predominant focus on financial aspects, with relatively limited attention to societal and environmental roles. Moreover, the complexity of university-region relationships and challenges in data collection often limit quality evaluations to descriptive and output-oriented indicators. However, more structured and context-sensitive approaches are emerging in some studies. Drawing on insights from our conceptual framing and the reviewed studies, we support calls for national and institutional policies that promote more balanced university efforts across regional development dimensions and diverse forms of engaged scholarship. We also advocate for the development of contextualized quality indicators that incorporate alternative data sources and more nuanced assessment approaches.