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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 20 May 2020

Noha Ahmed Hassan

This paper aims to analyze the link between universities and business incubators (BIs) and to determine how students, scientific researchers and entrepreneurs can benefit from…

24344

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the link between universities and business incubators (BIs) and to determine how students, scientific researchers and entrepreneurs can benefit from this linkage. It creates an environment in which everyone can help the other to put their new ideas, special skills and abilities into new businesses. In other words, the traditional universities’ role has changed and entrepreneurial universities are now needed to redirect new knowledge for economic development through BIs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts an analytical descriptive methodology approach to describe the basic features of the data by using the descriptive research design. This research is based on examining a model provided by the author concerning boosting the entrepreneurial aspects and outcomes through university business incubators (UBIs) based on wide theoretical and empirical case studies. Also, the functional structural approach is used to investigate the relationship between two variables as UBIs are considered a new unit that has functions and structures to create an added value to universities and the society as a whole.

Findings

The educational system should create a favorable environment that enables young people to develop their mindset from employees to employers, and to prepare them to improve skills and knowledge to create jobs. UBI is the recent aspect of the BI evolution where the research outcomes are linked with the industry and development. This relationship between these entities will provide success to its stakeholders.

Social implications

Many incubators around the world are supported by universities. Others are making initiatives to link up with universities and higher education institutions to get the revenues and returns from its academic nature. Lately, university incubators became a type of incubator evolution and more supportive for entrepreneurs than other types of incubators.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study is to explain how UBIs succeeded to tie the results of scientific research with economy and development through entrepreneurial activities to accelerate and realize entrepreneurship strategies.

Details

Review of Economics and Political Science, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2356-9980

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 June 2015

Fumi Kitagawa and Susan Robertson

This chapter examines the processes of entrepreneurial network and capital formation at a university-based incubator. Incubators could help overcome start-up firms to gain access…

Abstract

This chapter examines the processes of entrepreneurial network and capital formation at a university-based incubator. Incubators could help overcome start-up firms to gain access to entrepreneurial networks and credibility with external stakeholders, by supporting the entrepreneurial processes including the acquisition of variety of capitals and resources. However, the actual evidence on the effectiveness of incubators as a policy tool for business support has been rather contested. This chapter makes a contribution to the entrepreneurship literature by addressing the underlying processes of incubation as a key factor critical to achieve accelerated firm growth at the university-based technology incubator. Drawing on interviews and survey of start-up firms at a university-based incubator, co-evolution of business models with capital mobilisation and re-combination of resources is illustrated. The chapter concludes by arguing that more detailed processes and trajectories of ‘soft starter’ business model would contribute to the understanding and development of policy support for entrepreneurial processes.

Details

New Technology-Based Firms in the New Millennium
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-032-6

Article
Publication date: 7 October 2014

Jarunee Wonglimpiyarat

The purpose of this paper is to study the incubator policy to support entrepreneurial development. In particular, the study reviews the incubation programs and strategies of…

1088

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the incubator policy to support entrepreneurial development. In particular, the study reviews the incubation programs and strategies of technology transfer and commercialization as well as the innovation policies to support innovation commercialization in Thailand, based on the Triple Helix model.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs the use of case study methodology to understand in-depth the operations of major university business incubators (UBIs) and technology business incubators in enhancing the process of technology commercialization. The study examines case studies of leading UBIs (Mahidol University, Chulalongkorn University and King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi) and science and technology incubators of the National Science and Technology Agency (NSTDA) and the National Innovation Agency (NIA). The operations and incubating policies are analyzed through the lens of Triple Helix model. The interviews were carried out using the semi-structured questionnaire to understand the views of trilateral parties (the government, university and industry) related to the concept of Triple Helix model. The interviews were carried out with major stakeholders including policy makers, policy analysts, government officials, managers running incubators, incubates, university professors, research managers. Interview data were supported by an examination of secondary data so as to provide a cross check on internal validity.

Findings

The results have shown that the incubation program is one of the major policy mechanisms to support innovation and suggested that UBIs should act as an intermediary between the spheres of university and industry to provide interactive linkages and promote effective utilization of university research. The empirical study provides insightful implications on the move toward the entrepreneurial university and the dynamics of the Triple Helix system in stimulating innovation development and diffusion.

Originality/value

By focussing on the major UBIs and technology business incubators in one of the Asian Tigers – Thailand, the study offers the model of university technology commercialization which could be applied to other developing economies. The study provides useful lessons and insights on the process of technology transfer and commercialization through the university incubation mechanism (university technology commercialization).

Details

World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-5961

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2008

Maura McAdam and Susan Marlow

Research to date has identified incubator units as an effective mechanism for supporting the growth and development of small entrepreneurial firms. Advantages are gained not only…

2848

Abstract

Purpose

Research to date has identified incubator units as an effective mechanism for supporting the growth and development of small entrepreneurial firms. Advantages are gained not only from the provision of appropriate facilities and external managerial expertise on site, but also from the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial networks facilitated by the spatial proximity of incubator firms. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of context, in other words the degree to which the networking opportunities provided by the university incubator support the small firm in its pursuit of sustainability and growth.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical evidence is presented from six in‐depth, longitudinal case studies of entrepreneurial firms based within a university incubator located within the United Kingdom. The interviews were tape‐recorded and transcribed and then analysed through the NUD*IST software package.

Findings

The current research highlights the specific role of the university context in networking activities, and in particular, the development of particular types of networks, namely, social and business. Having identified the role of the university in facilitating such networks, future research needs to consider how proximity and tacit knowledge establishes the trust which underpins successful networking. However, this paper has also revealed some disadvantages of university incubator placement worthy of further consideration and research, namely, how proximity between firms is seen as a threat to intellectual property rights and also, how the image of the academic might be seen as a disadvantage within the business community.

Originality/value

This paper adds to existing literature through an exploration of the manner in which firm proximity within a university incubator impacts upon networking opportunities for new entrepreneurial firms.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2020

Christina Öberg, Markus Klinton and Helen Stockhult

Incubators, as providers of advice and resources, suggest fostering the development of early-idea firms. Literature and practice seem to suggest an ever-increasing amount of…

Abstract

Purpose

Incubators, as providers of advice and resources, suggest fostering the development of early-idea firms. Literature and practice seem to suggest an ever-increasing amount of incubator support. The creation of business relationships is at the heart of any business development, and this paper addresses whether a laissez-faire incubator fosters the creation of business relationships. The purpose of this paper is to explore the creation of business relationships among incubated firms during and after their time in the incubator along with the roles that these relationships play for the incubated firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirically, the paper is based on retrospective interviews with representatives of all incubated firms in a university incubator. A total of fifteen interviews were conducted with representatives of the incubated firms, the incubator and its owners, complemented by secondary data sources.

Findings

The paper points out three antecedents for business relationship creation: the lack of experience and connections; convenience; and trust based on the interactions with others in the incubator. These antecedents are connected to the roles of transforming businesses and of adaptation in the dyadic relationships. The laissez-faire incubator helped through the learning-by-doing among the incubated firms, which made them focus on business relationship creation from early on.

Originality/value

Most incubator research portrays the unilateral transfer of knowledge from the incubator to the incubated firm, with the latter being a service taker rather than a co-producer. The paper adds knowledge about business relationships among firms in incubators and the roles that these business relationships could play for the firms. The focus on an incubator providing limited support is of high practical relevance, given the trend of incubators facilitating more and more services.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 35 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 March 2017

María Redondo and Carmen Camarero

This paper aims to investigate the role of university business incubator managers as drivers of the training and advice given to academic incubatees. Based on the institutional…

1018

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of university business incubator managers as drivers of the training and advice given to academic incubatees. Based on the institutional logics approach, the current paper proposes that the dominant logic, academic versus commercial, determines the degree of emphasis on personal assistance, business assistance and networking training.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the proposed hypotheses, data were collected from 93 incubation programmes from Spanish and Dutch universities through questionnaires addressed to their respective managers, as well as clients.

Findings

The results indicate that the greater the managers’ experience in the business and entrepreneurial world, the greater the fostering of personal and business assistance and networking activities in the incubator. Managers lacking an entrepreneurial profile weaken incubatee access to other business networks and prove less efficient in business training.

Originality/value

This research makes a contribution to the study of university incubatees, showing that managers can be involved in different institutional logics, whether they be academic or commercial, and that the dominant logic determines the activities promoted and, consequently, the success of the incubation process. Business and entrepreneurial experience is key to instilling business logic in incubatees together with the training and assistance they require.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2021

María Redondo, Carmen Camarero and Peter van der Sijde

University business incubators (UBIs) are born as tools of the academic world to market research results, for the transfer of technology and to promote entrepreneurial spirit. In…

Abstract

Purpose

University business incubators (UBIs) are born as tools of the academic world to market research results, for the transfer of technology and to promote entrepreneurial spirit. In these contexts, the exchange of knowledge among entrepreneurs can be a key variable for the development and success of their businesses. This paper aims to analyse the characteristics of entrepreneurs' resources and the institutional logic that prevails in the incubator as determinants of the exchange of knowledge, and the authors examine the results in terms of entrepreneurial commitment and the generation of innovations.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical study carried out on a sample of 101 entrepreneurs in UBIs in Spain and The Netherlands.

Findings

The results reveals how complementarity, supplementarity and transferability of resources, as well as incubator predisposition towards business are fundamental for the exchange of knowledge, the development of entrepreneurial spirit and the generation of innovation.

Originality/value

This study makes a contribution towards an understanding of how relationships between university entrepreneurs provide access to and help create useful knowledge for the parties, with this resource constituting one possible source of sustainable competitive advantage.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 January 2024

Vaishali Dhiman and Manpreet Arora

This article aims to conduct a bibliometric study using structural and relational approaches amongst the extracted documents and investigates the connections between business

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to conduct a bibliometric study using structural and relational approaches amongst the extracted documents and investigates the connections between business incubation and entrepreneurship-related papers to describe the field comprehensively.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 259 articles have been retrieved from Scopus database in order to conduct the bibliometric analysis. Performance analysis and science mapping techniques of bibliometrics have been used along with data visualisation software, i.e. VOSviewer and RStudio. The network collaboration and intellectual structures, i.e. bibliographic coupling, co-occurrence analysis, word cloud and trending topics, have been presented to identify the field’s latest trends, themes and development.

Findings

The findings highlight annual publication trends, including the most frequently cited articles, the most productive authors, countries and highly influential journals that contribute the most to the said field. The intellectual structures have been developed to identify research themes and trends by running co-occurrence analysis and bibliographic coupling. The findings of this study emphasize the value of technology transfer, mentorship programmes, entrepreneurship education and an emphasis on innovation and creativity through entrepreneurial universities and academia. These findings provide policymakers and administrative officials with crucial guidance for fortifying the pillars of entrepreneurship and education for the comprehensive development of the economy. Further, this article attempts to identify the most influential and relevant publications as well as the newest trends in the area of business incubation in combination with entrepreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

The article contributes not only to broaden the scope of knowledge on the said research discipline but also to comprehend how the field has evolved over a period of time. This study also attracts the interest of scholars/academicians, leading to the significant production of scholarly documents in business incubation and entrepreneurship.

Practical implications

The field of entrepreneurship and business incubation is one of the important pillars for the growth and development of the economy. This piece contributes to this arena by focusing on the areas that must be taken care of by developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem and fostering the progress of startups. The fundamentals of this research highlight the importance of mentorship programs, entrepreneurship education, technology transfer and a focus on innovation and creativity through entrepreneurial education and efforts by universities/academia, giving an important direction to the policymakers and administration for strengthening the pillar of entrepreneurship and education for the holistic development of the economy.

Originality/value

Business incubation is an emerging field of academic research connected to startups, venture formation and entrepreneurship ecosystems, making it a potential scholarly discipline. This study presents a thorough bibliometric analysis over the last three decades, offering comprehensive details on the most significant developments in the field of business incubation. Moreover, the various analytical methods applied to this study make it more attractive.

Details

LBS Journal of Management & Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0972-8031

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 July 2013

Nigel Culkin

The purpose of this paper is to explore, evaluate and share the motivations and behaviours of student and graduate entrepreneurs (referred to as SGSUs) operating from university

1592

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore, evaluate and share the motivations and behaviours of student and graduate entrepreneurs (referred to as SGSUs) operating from university incubators. The study aims to understand the behaviours and motivations of SGSUs to build on the existing literature and contribute towards a discussion around support services for university incubation centres.

Design/methodology/approach

Empirical evidence is presented from an online survey of 100 SGSUs from a sample of university incubators across the UK. The results were analysed using the data analysis software package SPSS. The results of open‐ended questions were analysed manually.

Findings

The current research reveals a series of contrasting engagements towards and within the university incubator space. A better understanding of user expectations and motivations is needed in order to develop better services and support system within which SGSUs can develop.

Practical implications

The outcomes could have practical significance and managerial implications based on a greater understanding and awareness of the needs of SGSUs when allocating scarce resources in order to improve incubator performance, entrepreneurial support and new venture creation funding in HEIs.

Originality/value

The paper provides a unique insight into the needs of SGSUs and identifies the key issues that contribute to their early successes and some of the “known” and “unknown” reasons behind why they may not fulfil their ambitions. The findings present thinking of SGSUs and their outlook to the future challenges and relative entrepreneurial support in context of institutional support.

Article
Publication date: 19 January 2023

Alexandru Capatina, Dragos Sebastian Cristea, Adrian Micu, Angela Eliza Micu, Giuseppe Empoli and Federica Codignola

This study aims to outline the influence of various combinations of antecedent conditions for startups being accepted into business incubators in Italy and Romania. The degree to…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to outline the influence of various combinations of antecedent conditions for startups being accepted into business incubators in Italy and Romania. The degree to which these conditions affect acceptance is referred to here as the Business Ideas Acceptance Degree (BIAD). The antecedent conditions considered are business idea potential, business plan quality, entrepreneurial team features, business project progress stage, available financial resources, debts of potential incubated companies, commitment to apply for national/EU funds, business area related to incubator mission, proposed technological content level, technological transfer from university/research centres and spin-off of a partner-entity of the incubator.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological toolkit used was mixed: correlation-based analysis (CBA), machine learning (ML) techniques and fsQCA. Principal component analysis enabled the selection of the most representative antecedent conditions from both business incubator samples in Italy and Romania, further used in fsQCA analyses. XGBoost algorithm has been also used. K-Means clustering, an unsupervised learning algorithm that groups unlabeled dataset into different clusters, led to the configuration of two clusters associated to each of the countries involved in this study (Romania and Italy).

Findings

The findings reveal the differences between the different antecedent conditions that can contribute to startups being accepted into business incubators in Italy and Romania. The validation of the fsQCA equifinality principle in both samples shows that the selected antecedent conditions, mixed in combinations of “causal recipes”, lead to a high BIAD by business incubators from both countries.

Originality/value

This study reveals the differences between different antecedent conditions, capable to contribute to the start-up acceptance within business incubators from Italy and Romania. Furthermore, the validation of fsQCA equifinality principle in both samples highlight that the selected antecedent conditions, mixed in combinations of causal recipes, lead to a high degree of business ideas' acceptance in business incubators.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 29 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 4000