The Supreme Objectives and Policy Orientations of National Upstream Documents in Higher Education for Achieving Responsible and Entrepreneurial Universities

Borumand, Ahmad; Sohrabi, Rouhollah; Heirani, Hossein; Sharifi Rahnemo, Saeid

doi:10.22034/jokog.2026.533217.1120

The Supreme Objectives and Policy Orientations of National Upstream Documents in Higher Education for Achieving Responsible and Entrepreneurial Universities

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ahmad Borumand ¹

Rouhollah Sohrabi ²

Hossein Heirani ³

Saeid Sharifi Rahnemo ⁴

¹ Faculty Member, Shahid Beheshti University Institute for Fundamental Studies of Science and Technology

² Associate Professor of Production and Operations Management, Bu -Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran

³ Assistant Professor of Technology & Innovation Policy Studies Dep., National Research Institute for Science Policy (NRISP), Tehran, Iran

⁴ Assistant Professor of Educational Development Center(EDC), Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran

10.22034/jokog.2026.533217.1120

Abstract

One of the most significant future trends in higher education is the shift of the academic system toward new generations and the adoption of characteristics such as responsibility and entrepreneurship. In other words, the convergence between universities, government, society, and industry is considered a forward-looking necessity in higher education. The policies outlined in Iran’s upstream documents on science, technology, and innovation also affirm this, though their sheer number and inflation sometimes lead to a lack of focus in the strategic planning of educational and research institutions, as well as science and technology parks. This research, which is descriptive-analytical in nature, collected twelve upstream documents and employed thematic analysis using text mining with RapidMiner software. It identified 35 basic concepts, 8 organizing concepts, and 3 overarching themes: ((Attention to spatial planning and international collaborations)), ((Human resource development and training)) and ((Scientific and technological development and innovation)). The resulting thematic hierarchy can be used to assess the alignment of strategic documents from educational and research institutions, as well as science and technology parks, with the higher objectives of the country’s science, technology, and innovation sector.

Keywords

Upstream documents

science and technology system

thematic analysis

responsible and entrepreneurial university

Subjects