University-centred entrepreneurial ecosystems in resource-constrained contexts

Abstract

PurposeResearch on entrepreneurial ecosystems has advanced over recent years and has become a popular topic. Despite the interest, previous work has focused on entrepreneurial ecosystems in large cities in the United States. Ecosystems in small cities, underpopulated rural areas, university towns and outside the USA have not been considered much. This paper begins to address this deficit by reviewing three groups of literature.Design/methodology/approachFrom the review, the paper builds a conceptual framework to consider entrepreneurial ecosystems led by universities. After summarizing the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial universities and entrepreneurship education, the paper suggests a conceptual framework outlying the structure, components and mechanisms that enable universities to operate as catalysts in the creation of entrepreneurial ecosystems.FindingsIt is evident that on many of the “ingredients” of a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem, a resource-constrained environment would have many gaps. Building an entrepreneurship ecosystem in such contexts would be inherently challenging. The model presented suggests that the presence of a university in such locations should enhance the prospects of progress but that the nature of the university itself would impact any outcomes. Universities that make concerted efforts to be entrepreneurial and that have entrepreneurship programmes have strategies available to them that can enhance entrepreneurship ecosystems over time.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is to show “how” a university and its entrepreneurship programme can operationally address deficits in a local ecosystem and how it might bring about positive change. The paper also opens new avenues for entrepreneurship education researchers.

The role of university environment in promoting entrepreneurial behavior: evidence from heterogeneous regions in Brazil

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Key Elements and Their Roles in Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystem: Comparative Review and Suggestions for Sustainability

“…From these representative studies on the composition of the entrepreneurship education ecosystem, four characteristics could be summarized. First, although there are differences in the naming and classification of the composition, these elements are entrepreneurial stakeholders that are centered around the main functions of universities [73][74][75], among which education [76] and scientific research [23] are at the core of an ecosystem. Second, the boundaries of the university-based entrepreneurship education ecosystem are not determined by the 'walls' of the university [19] because institutions, organizations, industries, communities, and other external elements, which are independent of the university, are also included in the scope of the ecosystem [56,66,77].…”

The novelty-centered business model: a transition mechanism between exploration and exploitation in SMEs

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