The Entrepreneurial University and Business Incubation

The primary aim of this chapter is to review the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems, focusing on the activities of two key institutions: higher education institutions and business incubation centres (BICs). This chapter explores how best to manage the connection between business incubation centres and higher education institutions. It examines the activities of business incubation centres (BICs) as they relate to entrepreneurial universities and provides an overview of the key challenges associated with developing entrepreneurial universities. Findings are presented in the form of a conceptual framework that facilitates an improved understanding of the benefits of connecting the capabilities, activities, and outcomes associated with higher education and business incubation. The chapter offers a lens by which to consider the design of BICs as they relate to entrepreneurial universities and offers pathways to consider future research.

Integral estimation of activity of entrepreneurial universities: practical aspect

Investigated problem. Implementation of the concept of an entrepreneurial university necessitates the formation of a system of activity indicators of educational institutions. The main scientific results. It is specified that the activity of entrepreneurial universities and educational institutions that try to comply with this concept should be systematically rated. The author analyzes modern approaches to estimation of the activity of entrepreneurial universities. The own viewpoint to this evaluation on the basis of calculation of an integrated indicator is offered. The main stages of the algorithm for estimating the activity are described. An integrated activity indicator for five universities has been calculated. The ranking of educational institutions in accordance with the calculated desegregated measures and the concept of entrepreneurial university has been held. The results of the analysis showed that the studied educational institutions from the United States are more in line with the concept of the entrepreneurial university than European ones. The area of practical use of the research results. The practical results of the study can be used in the process of estimating the activity of entrepreneurial universities. Innovative technological product. The scientific approach to the evaluation of the activity of entrepreneurial universities proposed by the author allows to form their rating, to track the position of each educational institution in the dynamics. Scope of application of the innovative technological product: educational policy at the micro- and macroeconomic levels.

Students’ perceptions of the entrepreneurial culture in Finnish higher education institutions

The purpose of this study is to add to the literature on entrepreneurial universities by investigating entrepreneurial culture (EC) in higher education institutions (HEIs). The authors investigate how students experience EC and which factors explain their perceptions of EC. The study is based on a survey of HEI students in Finland with 1277 responses. The results show that formal institutional support and institution-level activities have the strongest impact on the students’ experienced EC. According to the findings, formal institutional support has a greater impact on students’ perceptions of EC than student-driven activities. Furthermore, the results highlight that the encouragement of teachers has a greater influence on students’ perceptions of EC than peer students and student-driven activities. Accordingly, the paper’s theoretical contribution to the literature lies in its demonstration that institutional support, in addition to the encouragement of teachers, influences HEI students’ perceptions of EC. With regard to practical implications, the findings indicate that, if HEIs wish to build an EC and operate entrepreneurially, it is vital to support teachers’ entrepreneurial behaviour and thinking. In addition, equal emphasis needs to be placed on the observable artefacts and on clear, well-communicated organisational structures and processes.

Entrepreneurship imperatives in higher education institutions: The case of Australian Universities

Earlier research has not explicitly emphasised the dynamic integration of entrepreneurship imperatives and transformation in developing the entrepreneurial university. The purpose of this research is to examine the linkage between the strategic intents articulated by universities and their corresponding level of entrepreneurship transformation. This article develops a theoretical framework to examine transformational imperatives, applying a data analytical approach to assess strategic documents using automated content analysis and complex algorithms. Australian universities were chosen for the research given the specific context of the higher education sector and the availability of strategic documents on the institutions’ websites. In the research context, the findings show that, while there are some variances with specific institutions, Australian universities in general, and several groups of universities in particular, expressed different levels of determination, ranging from moderate to moderately strong, to transform themselves into being entrepreneurial. Universities’ management can benefit from the theoretical framework developed in this research to craft strategies to further adopt entrepreneurship imperatives. Implications are also provided to inform universities, industry and government with regard to enhancing the dynamics of entrepreneurship ecosystems.

The Effect of University Missions on Entrepreneurial Initiative across Multiple Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Evidence from Europe

Entrepreneurial universities are a significant element of entrepreneurial ecosystems and aspire to foster entrepreneurial initiative through their “third mission”. However, while entrepreneurial ecosystems are scrutinized using a contextual approach to detect differences and similarities and how they affect entrepreneurship, little is known about how entrepreneurial universities impact entrepreneurial initiatives in general, considering multiple environments. Drawing on entrepreneurial university and entrepreneurial ecosystem theories, a conceptual framework is proposed that aims to explain the effect of the entrepreneurial university on an entrepreneurial initiative through its three “missions”, using an entrepreneurial ecosystem taxonomy. Based on individual data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, this entrepreneurial initiative analyzed 18 European countries in 2017. The results do not generally support the importance of entrepreneurial universities to entrepreneurial initiative. The relevance of entrepreneurial universities increases in more fragile entrepreneurial ecosystems since individuals need support over multiple dimensions. Conversely, the entrepreneurial universities that are embedded in stronger entrepreneurial ecosystems lose relevance and negatively affect the entrepreneurial initiative. Therefore, the value of entrepreneurial universities is reduced when individuals receive greater support from other dimensions. The variations across both groups suggest that the concept of entrepreneurial universities is not a contemporaneous phenomenon; however, their effect is progressively revealed by the maturity of each university’s mission. This perspective substantially changes the understanding of entrepreneurial universities as a thwartwise strategy, suggesting that the universities’ impact is expanded as their missions gradually evolve. Overall, the study contributes to an understanding of the implications for universities that blindly follow entrepreneurship, neglecting the exogenous environment, namely, the entrepreneurial ecosystem and individual drive.