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The emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems based on enabling technologies: Evidence from synthetic biology

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  • Nylund, Petra A.
  • Ferràs-Hernández, Xavier
  • Pareras, Luis
  • Brem, Alexander

Abstract

Certain technologies have the potential to spawn an entrepreneurial ecosystem, but this potential is not always realized. Some of these technologies that could enable prosperous and sustainable ecosystems struggle at the threshold of ecosystem emergence. In this paper, we use an in-depth case study of an emergent entrepreneurial ecosystem based on an enabling technology—synthetic biology—to identify the structural, societal, and ethical barriers to ecosystem growth. The structural barriers mainly relate to the lack of an ecosystem framework to manage intellectual property in complex interactions. The societal barriers concern the clock speed conflict between parts of the quintuple helix entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the ethical barriers arise from the widespread impact of enabling technologies in combination with the diffusion of ethical responsibility throughout the ecosystem. We also discuss both the theoretical and managerial implications of these barriers.

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  • Nylund, Petra A. & Ferràs-Hernández, Xavier & Pareras, Luis & Brem, Alexander, 2022. "The emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems based on enabling technologies: Evidence from synthetic biology," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 728-735.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:149:y:2022:i:c:p:728-735
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.05.071
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Entrepreneurial ecosystems; Ecosystem emergence; Complex adaptive systems; Enabling technologies; Synthetic biology;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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