Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to synthesize higher education (HE) elements as expressed in competitiveness literature and provide a comprehensive list of HE aspects found in the conception of competitiveness. In order to achieve this goal, the most acknowledged conceptions, including definitions and measurements, of competitiveness are overviewed and HE components reflected in them are depicted. Design/methodology/approach -In order to achieve the article goal, the most acknowledged conceptions, including definitions and measurements, of competitiveness are overviewed and HE components reflected in them are depicted. Findings -The reviewed measurements of competitiveness have provided a comprehensive list of HE elements. After reviewing a combination of literature on national competitiveness, it is stated that the following HE elements appear in the conception of national competitiveness -preparation for the HE (as reflected in quantity and quality of secondary education), tertiary education quantity and quality, funding of HE system, quality of scientific research institutions and links of the HE system with the labor and business sectors. Practical implications -The article has a practical value for HE policy makers since it detects key HE factors that are included in the most acknowledged competitiveness measurements which means that these factors have been identified to be the most influential for the growth of a country's prosperity. It is important for HE reformers to understand the underlying dynamics of the competitiveness process and factors that drive it so that they can contribute in the most effective ways. Originality/value -The article provides a comprehensive list of HE aspects found in competitiveness definitions and measurements. This can be useful for researchers in comparative HE research field. They are constantly seeking for common grounds of comparison of HE systems. The article provides the list of HE characteristics that can serve as basis of comparison. It is a complicated task to study similarities and differences between HE systems because it is difficult to find a joining point. In the article, this joining point has become national competitiveness. Thus, the article contributes to the quest for adequate theoretical approaches for HE system analysis, putting forward a list tailored to the study of HE systems in the context of national competitiveness.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence of university research management on institutional competitiveness, international visibility and fund‐raising.Design/methodology/approachThe research findings are based on analysis of leading universities in six European countries: Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, The Netherlands and Germany. For the analysis, two criteria are chosen – institutional way of work and core partnerships. This summary is compared with theoretical background for innovative research management and the conclusion is made that these two issues are much in line.FindingsThe findings suggest that majority of leading universities in the analysed countries actively realize principles of the Triple Helix and Mode 2 Science. This is realized through innovative managerial structures and strong orientation to practical implication of research production. The findings summarise the main forms of institutional work and discuss core partnering issues.Research limitations/implicationsA limited number of universities are chosen and data are mainly collected from secondary sources such as institutional documents, web site information or corporate presentations. This is why it is difficult to evaluate how some formal declarations are realized in practice.Practical implicationsThe findings may serve as a framework for considering changes in university research management structure or seeking increase of institutional competitiveness, international visibility and effective fund‐raisingOriginality/valueThe paper compares theoretic discussions on innovative research management through cooperation and specialization with existing practices in leading universities and provides summary and examples universities are taking to increase institutional effectiveness.