Research on the Integration Strategy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education and Professional Education in Universities
List of Authors
Li Chengcang, Siti Kausar Zakaria
Keyword
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education; Professional Education; Integration of Specialization and Innovation; Talent Cultivation; SDG4
Abstract
In the context of rapid technological change and innovation-driven development, universities are increasingly expected to cultivate graduates with strong innovation capability and practical competence. Under the normative framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), which emphasizes “quality education” and the enhancement of educational relevance and inclusiveness, improving the quality and social responsiveness of higher education has become a global consensus.Integrating innovation and entrepreneurship education with professional education has therefore become a central reform agenda in higher education. despite extensive policy support and institutional initiatives, such integration often remains fragmented and superficial. This study examines the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship education and professional education from a systemic and institutional perspective. This study employs a literature review and logical analysis to examine the structural conditions and institutional mechanisms that shape the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship education and professional education within university talent cultivation systems. Drawing on systems theory, resource dependence theory, and the Triple Helix framework as analytical lenses, the study reveals that persistent separation between the two forms of education reflects deep structural contradictions embedded in university talent cultivation systems, particularly the coexistence of heterogeneous subsystem logics, asymmetric resource allocation, and fragmented governance arrangements. Innovation and entrepreneurship education is frequently positioned as a peripheral subsystem with limited influence over core professional curricula. Based on these findings, the study conceptualizes integration as a conditional process of institutionalization achieved through structural embeddedness across value orientation, curriculum systems, faculty collaboration, practice platforms, and evaluation mechanisms. By shifting the analytical focus from pedagogical techniques to institutional coordination mechanisms, this study provides a system-level framework that offers theoretical guidance for sustainable integration and lays a foundation for future empirical research in higher education.