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Parting the ivory curtain: understanding how universities support a diverse set of startups

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  • Sonali Shah
  • Emily Pahnke

Abstract

Universities are widely recognized as a critical source of technological innovation and are heralded for the entrepreneurial ventures cultivated within their walls. To date, most research has focused on academic entrepreneurship—new ventures that spin out of academic laboratories. However, universities also give rise to startups that do not directly exploit knowledge generated within academic laboratories. Such firms—and the societal and economic benefits they create—are an important contribution of modern universities. We propose a framework for understanding the full scope of university entrepreneurship and its driving factors, with the goal of providing scholars, university administrators, and policymakers with insights regarding the resources required to foster entrepreneurship from within the ivory tower. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Sonali Shah & Emily Pahnke, 2014. "Parting the ivory curtain: understanding how universities support a diverse set of startups," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(5), pages 780-792, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:39:y:2014:i:5:p:780-792
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-014-9336-0
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    University-industry technology transfer; Entrepreneurship; Knowledge; Innovation; O31; O32;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

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