Abstract
Academic entrepreneurship by means of university spin-offs commercializes
technological breakthroughs, which may otherwise remain unexploited. However, many
universities face difficulties in creating spin-offs. This article adopts a science-based
design approach, to connect scholarly research with the pragmatics of effectively creating
university spin-offs. This approach serves to link the practice of university spin-off creation,
via design principles, to the scholarly knowledge in this area. As such, science-based
design promotes the interplay between emergent and deliberate design processes. This
framework is used to develop a set of design principles that are practice-based as well as
grounded in the existing body of research on university spin-offs. A case-study of spin-off
creation at a Dutch university illustrates the interplay between initial processes
characterized by emergent design and the subsequent process that was more deliberate
in nature. This case study also suggests there are two fundamentally different phases in
building capacity for university spin-off creation: first, an infrastructure for spin-off creation
(e.g. including a collaborative network of investors, managers and advisors) is developed,
that then enables support activities to individual spin-off ventures. This study concludes
that, to build and increase capacity for creating spin-offs, universities should:
• create university-wide awareness of entrepreneurship opportunities, stimulate the
development of entrepreneurial ideas, and subsequently screen entrepreneurs and
ideas by programs targeted at students and academic staff
• support start-up teams in composing and learning the right mix of venturing skills
and knowledge by providing access to advice, coaching and training
• help starters in obtaining access to resources and developing their social capital by
creating a collaborative network organization of investors, managers and advisors
• set clear and supportive rules and procedures that regulate the university spin-off
process, enhance fair treatment of involved parties, and separate spin-off
processes from academic research and teaching
• shape a university culture that reinforces academic entrepreneurship, by creating
norms and exemplars that motivate entrepreneurial behavior.
These and other results of this study illustrate how science-based design can connect
scholarly research to the pragmatics of actually creating spin-offs in academic institutions.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 2nd European Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ECEI 2007) November 8-9, 2007 |
Editors | xx Dan Remenyi |
Place of Publication | Utrecht |
Publisher | Utrecht University |
Pages | 9-18 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-1-905305-65-0 |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Event | conference; ECEI 2007, Utrecht, the Netherlands; 2007-11-08; 2007-11-09 - Duration: 8 Nov 2007 → 9 Nov 2007 |
Conference
Conference | conference; ECEI 2007, Utrecht, the Netherlands; 2007-11-08; 2007-11-09 |
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Period | 8/11/07 → 9/11/07 |
Other | ECEI 2007, Utrecht, the Netherlands |