Intangible assets in higher education and research: mission, performance or both?

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the role of intangible assets in higher education and research institutions and to present a measurement framework, along with an illustrative application. Design/methodology/approach – A review of existing theories and practical experiences is undertaken to build the core conceptual model and a dashboard of indicators. The model is then applied to investigate the mission and performance angles of intellectual capital with reference to an Italian higher education and research institution. Findings – Creating intangible assets is at the core of the mission of education and research organizations. The identification and measurement of intellectual capital are thus an operational priority to evaluate the alignment between strategic orientation and performance within such institutions. Research limitations/implications – The research has to be considered as exploratory and presents a single case, resulting in the need for further applications. However, the dashboard of metrics proposed is comprehensive and can thus represent a useful ground for refinements, mostly related to the links between indicators and management/strategy issues. Practical implications – The dashboard can be used as a stakeholder communication tool and a tableau de bord to support the strategic decisions related to the human, social and structural capital of education and research organizations. Originality/value – The paper presents a first discussion on the systematic identification, classification and reporting of intellectual capital indicators in higher education and research.