The Role of the University in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) exist to allow new ideas to flourish. EEs are made of many component parts: investors, established businesses, government and other regulatory agencies, entrepreneurs, and universities. Universities serve many purposes in the EE. They are sources of innovation and research, as well as training grounds for new talent. As they exist currently, universities have the potential to make profound impacts on the EEs they participate in, but they also have room for improvement. This chapter will discuss universities' current contributions to entrepreneurial ecosystems, the ways that they fail to reach their potential, and potential changes and improvements that could better enable them to support and encourage innovation.