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The purpose of this paper is to build a holistic theoretical framework of enabling factors contributing to the development of enterprise in nanotechnology-related industries, in a French context.

A systematic literature review methodology was adopted. The review used three gauges to identify enabling factors contributing to the development of enterprise in nanotechnology-related industries in a French context: first, it analysed the literature related to the development of nanotechnologies in a perspective of sustainability in a multidisciplinary stance (“Green view”). Second, it took a disciplinary stance by exploring academic journals in the field of entrepreneurship (“Entrepreneurship view”). Third, it studied the perspective of France (“French view”).

The main finding is that in spite of different approaches and sometimes seemingly conflicting stances, the three views converge on three enabling factors: the importance of knowledge sharing across boundaries, access to university scientists and facilities, and government intervention. However, each view also has its particularities: the “Green view” emphasizes the need for civil society inclusion, the “Entrepreneurship view” underlines the importance of early stage capital and entrepreneurial behaviour and the “French view” concentrates on the role of clusters.

The paper provides a theoretical framework and a starting point for further work on entrepreneurial nanotechnology facilitation. Its findings constitute a benchmark which may be tested in empirical cases. The focus on the French context may be seen as a limitation but also as a source of interesting comparative work focussing on other national or regional contexts.

The paper shows that public policy is an important element in the nascent field of enterprise development for nano-based materials. It outlines how different contexts create different barriers to entrepreneurship, and it proposes recommendations to overcome some of these barriers.

In this paper, findings result from an exploration of the nanotechnology literature that focusses solely on nanotechnology data sets and not on mixed data sets. The use of three different gauges leads to the construction of a holistic theoretical framework that includes enabling factors as well as the types of barriers that entrepreneurs have to overcome to succeed.

This paper aims to base the exploration of entrepreneurship on the study of the creation of new technological ventures in the emerging fields of bio and nanotechnologies.

Drawing on the study of various databases and media archives, internet searches, business cases and in‐depth interviews, the study examines how regulation, institutional funding and R&D orientations constitute key components of the success of new technological ventures involving bio‐and nanotechnologies applications. It then studies what impact the actions of non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) can have on these components, and therefore, what influence they can have on entrepreneurship.

Finds that by introducing shifts in the environment leading to new technological ventures, NGOs influence entrepreneurship.

This new approach of entrepreneurship will begin to fill an existing gap in the literature concerning the study of the interface between NGOs and business. The model which is proposed will hopefully lead to further theorization concerning the relations between institutional change and entrepreneurship.