This study examines the interaction between universities and other sectors of society, with an emphasis on the local and civic aspects of that interaction. The changes wrought by the knowledge economy have challenged the boundaries between higher education and other fields. As higher education has become less sheltered from external influences, the interactions between universities and other organisations have moved from the periphery to the centre of higher education. The aim of the research was to investigate universities' external relations: to whom they connect, how the connections are...