Evaluating the Relationship between Municipality and University in Mashhad Using Triple Helix Model Based on Critical Success Factors

University is not only responsible for communicating with government and industry, but also has the responsibility to associate with all sectors of the society in order to create innovation and dynamic knowledge. This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between Municipality and University in Mashhad using Triple Helix Model based on critical success factors. The data collection method is both quantitative and qualitative in order to triangulate the findings. In the quantitative part, a questionnaire was designed in 4 dimensions including organizational, political – legal, individual, and cultural factors and contains 35 questions. Population of the study includes expert from Mashhad Municipality, city council and also professors of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and Khayyam University which have had cooperation with the Municipality. Thus, a sample size of 128 participants was estimated using Cochran formula. Data were analyzed using T-test and Friedman. In the qualitative section, interviews were conducted using semi-structured interviews with seven academicians and experts. Respondents were selected based on Snowball sampling technique and theme analysis was used to analyze the data obtained. The quantitative results indicate the undesirability of the current status of all factors and shows high impact of these factors on the relationship between Mashhad Municipality and the universities. The qualitative results also supported the quantitative section and showed that the relationship between Municipality and Universities in Mashhad is in the second stage of Triple Helix Model. Suggestions for improving the current situation were also proposed.