Cooperation between universities and business is manifest in a wide range of activities related to the three missions of the entrepreneurial university: education, research and entrepreneurship. However, the vast majority of University-Business Cooperation (UBC) literature has focused on R&D-related activities. This bias has given rise to a lack of knowledge of the organisational context-related factors that shape businesses’ cooperation with universities. In order to address this research gap, this quantitative study, by means of a series of multivariate linear regression models, identifies the organisational context-related factors that determine manufacturing SMEs’ cooperation levels in education-related UBC activities. Applying a questionnaire to a sample of 332 manufacturing SMEs located in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Spain), the impact is analysed of organisational context-related factors – general business characteristics, business openness, R&D, innovation, and UBC willingness and support – on 5 types of UBC activities that have been identified and classified in the field of education, namely, mobility of students, dual education, curriculum co-design, curriculum co-delivery and lifelong learning.

The future of regions must be built on human-scale competitiveness based on quality employment, sustainability (climate, digital, and demographic), knowledge and skills, new business projects focused on people, and equality between women and men. The achievement of this competitiveness requires cooperation among the Triple Helix, i.e., cooperation between companies, universities, and administration. However, as extant studies indicate, cooperation levels between universities and companies remain low. Therefore, the development of research projects and tools to foster this cooperation is necessary. As can be seen in the United Nations Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda, the challenges that the Triple Helix must face in the runup to 2030 are manifold. Given these multiple challenges and the limitation of existing resources, the identification of priorities is crucial in order to optimise resources, focus policies, and develop an agenda to guide cooperation. To this end, by conducting an exhaustive review of the literature, four focus group sessions with 24 participants and a quantitative questionnaire answered by 90 institutions, this study identifies the challenges that the Triple Helix of the Basque Country (Northern Spain) considers to be a priority for 2030 in order to ensure regional human-scale competitiveness. In accordance with the results of the study, eradicating gender-based violence, favouring the establishment of companies in the territory (incentives, legal measures, recognition, etc.), and developing alternative energy sources are some of the main priority challenges.