Sustainable entrepreneurship support programs in nature‐protected areas: How universities third mission aids sustainability transitions

Abstract This research examines the role of universities in supporting sustainability transitions in the context of nature‐protected areas through the leveraging of sustainable entrepreneurship. Universities are legitimate agents of change embedded within a territory and can play a pivotal role by initiating and supporting sustainable entrepreneurship ‐ a means of replacing unsustainable ventures with regenerative solutions linked to the success of sustainability transitions. However, the context of nature‐protected areas is unique on account of fragile ecosystems and cultural heritage sites – sustainable entrepreneurship can thus face a variety of challenges. This study focuses on a university‐led sustainable entrepreneurship program in North Sea nature‐protected areas, employing a multi‐level perspective framework for studying sustainability transitions. Through qualitative analysis of interviews, the study explores how such programs contribute to sustainability transitions by facilitating support to new sustainable entrepreneurs, creating coordination across actors and sustainability concerns, and creating a narrative for sustainability transition. The research contributes by spotlighting the role of universities in enhancing legitimacy and embeddedness in these areas, and in doing so, identifies new ‘third mission’ roles for universities. The research also provides one of the first attempts to synthesize ‘third mission’ concepts with sustainability transitions literature.