Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 26th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview Management and Leadership in the Public Sector Author(s) Camelia Cojocaru University of Bucharest Bucharest Romania Title Transferring University Research to Innovation Hubs - A Managerial Approach File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Camelia Cojocaru Abstract Transforming the universities into national and European centers for innovation and entrepreneurship is a goal of today society. The question is how to lead the cutting-edge academic research into successful products/services and start-ups. The concept of knowledge transfer is highly supported by EU and included into education strategies, as a valuable link between new knowledge generation (research activities) and economic activities where the new knowledge is converted to value (innovation in firms). This paper examines the strategies and the programs that allow Romanian universities to encourage the creation of disruptive, high-impact startups and offer support for their development. The empirical research uses a qualitative method, based on structured-interview data collected from the sample of stakeholders – researches, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, academic leaders. The results point to the need for a pragmatic managerial approach to creating the strategies and the processes designed to boost innovation hubs.