Universities are today seen as having three main tasks:
1) Teaching, education and training to students
2) Research (fundamental and/or apllied research)
3) Providing service to the community

The ECIU member institutions deal with the third task in different ways, as different response to the environment of the university. The below book introduces various ways in which the ECIU members are engaged in cooperation and activities with local actors, companies and organisations in their regions.
"The University and its region: Examples of regional development from the Europeqn Consortium of Innovative Universities" by P.C. van der Sijde and F. Schutte (eds.) Twente University Press, 2000.
All ECIU institutions have technology transfer offices, innovation and entrepreneurship activities and are engaged in facilitating start-ups, spin-outs etc.

Please read more on the individual members own websites. http://www.eciu.org/links.php