ABSTRACT
Universities and higher research institutions have relevant regional impacts. These have been the object of thorough academic research (see Florax 1992 and Phelps 1998 for extensive literature reviews). Today it is accepted that the formation of human capital and the production of scientific knowledge are strong determinants of regional growth. Moreover, it is typical of European cities that universities are strongly associated with urban communities (Hardy, in Elliott et al., 1996: 11; Hall, 1997) and contribute to determining their cultural status (Chatterton, 2000). However, seldom do such economic and cultural links between universities and cities translate into strategic common management of all the areas of contact between them.
