Technology and talent: capturing the role of universities in regional entrepreneurial ecosystems

Abstract

Purpose This paper describes the entrepreneurial ecosystems of three public research universities involved in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Midwest I-Corps TM (trademark symbol) Node. It presents a synthesis of programming, functional structure, commonly referenced university metrics and their limitations in measuring impact on commercialization and regional development. Design/methodology/approach Based on current literature, university data and discussions with entrepreneurship leaders at the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor, University of Illinois/Urbana Champaign and Purdue University, this paper provides an overview and analysis of entrepreneurial resources and education initiatives. Findings University contributions to entrepreneurial ecosystems can be described with respect to infrastructure and leadership, technology and talent and culture of innovation. Four main university entities are responsible for driving entrepreneurship initiatives. Identification of these entities, their respective activities and their outcomes allows us to propose a framework for analyzing and measuring university entrepreneurial ecosystem impact. Practical implications The paper describes the variety of university-based entrepreneurial initiatives believed to contribute to university entrepreneurial vibrancy and ultimately regional development. It identifies ecosystem stakeholders and provides a framework for examining their role and impact for continuous development. Originality/value The research complements prior reviews and empirical studies of university-wide entrepreneurial ecosystems by focusing on programming within and across institutions according to four dimensions (academic, research administration, technology transfer and community engagement) with respect to technology and talent development. It describes similarities across institutions and limitations associated with measuring impact. It provides a foundation for future empirical research related to the impact of NSF I-Corps and entrepreneurial programming in academic settings.

Incubating innovation in university settings: building entrepreneurial mindsets in the future generation of innovative emerging market leaders

“…For instance, the vast majority of public research universities based in the United States of America have a rich history of successful adoption and usage of entrepreneurial initiatives (Belitski and Heron, 2017). In these educational institutions, in particular, the responsibility for technology transfer and culture of innovation permeates across various levels and units, such as the academic staff, student body, research departments and the outside community, to form a unified platform for the development of a vibrant regional entrepreneurial ecosystem (Huang-Saad et al, 2018). Since entrepreneurship represents a significant driver of socioeconomic development and a critical job creation mechanism, many scholars in less advanced countries suggest building on the success stories "The seven sins of innovation" (Richards, 2014) (1) "Pointless purpose" (misaligned missions, poor stakeholder engagement, ineffectual communication and leadership, misaligned creativity, cultural disconnect) (2) "Impaired vision" (failing to look beyond "business as usual", myopia and hyperopia, inability to focus) (3) "Apathetic miscommunication" (communication poverty, information overload, pointlessness, failure to listen, wrong choice of media) (4) "Ambivalent disengagement" (existing vs potential stakeholders, continuous vs breakthrough innovation, risk-taking vs risk mitigation, creation vs destruction, competition vs collaboration) (5) "Frightfully disempowered followership" (fundamental flaws of leadership, working through fear) (6) "Painfully boring uncreativity" (idea inadequacy, the ideas tornado, idea blockers) ( 7) "Comfortable complacency" (culture of comfort; roots of mediocrity, complacency, poor performance) "The Innovator's Dilemma" (Christensen, 1997) "The Innovator's DNA" (Dyer et al, 2011) (1) How great companies can fail: sustaining vs disruptive technological innovations…”

Understanding the emergence of the university-based entrepreneurial ecosystem: comparing the university and company actors perspectives

“…Secondly, it was emphasized that new business creation requires genuine commitment and passion from the potential entrepreneurs. Academics often lack the needed will to become entrepreneurs (Huang-Saad et al, 2018), meaning that potential entrepreneurs need to be found outside the university.…”

“…Empirical research highlights the need for a coordinated stakeholder management approach to strengthen the university-based entrepreneurial ecosystem through strong and focused stakeholder networks and collaboration (Bischoff et al, 2018). The universities have a potentially important role to play in the promotion of regional entrepreneurship, but they face challenges in societal interaction, especially in the commercialization of research outcomes (Lahikainen et al, 2018), and not all faculty want to be entrepreneurs (Huang-Saad et al, 2018).…”

“…Recently, universities have been identified as important contributors in entrepreneurial ecosystems (Belitski and Heron, 2017;Isenberg, 2010;Stam, 2015). Universities can provide a large variety of resources to entrepreneurial ecosystems: new technologies that create entrepreneurial opportunities (Lawton Smith et al, 2014); human capital (teaching activities), knowledge capital (technology and research) and entrepreneurship capital (creation of spin-offs and entrepreneurial mindset) (Audretsch, 2014;Guerrero et al, 2016;Huang-Saad et al, 2018).…”

Emerging Support Systems for Entrepreneurship Education in the Context of an Ambitious National Reform in Chilean Engineering Schools

“…In seeking to respond to these demands, universities have been encouraged to play a more active role in economic development by supporting policies and funding programs for commercialization of technology and entrepreneurship education [4]. This occurs when economic news shows how global competition, downsizing, decentralization, re-engineering, mergers, and new technologies have made careers more complex and uncertain for graduates from all sectors [5,6].…”