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International Review of Education

, Volume 63, Issue 5, pp 703–724 | Cite as

Universities, local partnerships and the promotion of youth entrepreneurship

  • Éder D. Bezerra
  • Cândido Borges
  • Tales Andreassi
Original Paper
First Online:

Abstract

Youth entrepreneurship has gained prominence in recent years, but there are few studies which investigate the characteristics of companies created by students in the university environment (also known as “student spin-off companies”) or the “ecosystem” in which these companies are incubated and “hatched”. In parallel, there is a call for more research investigating the role universities play in the local development of these companies. In practice, there is an increasing demand for universities to interact with and engage in the local context beyond their institutional “walls”. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to understand how universities bring together local partners in support of young entrepreneurs. To this end, the authors conducted a multiple case study which identified the processes, characteristics and actors involved in the formation of these networks. As a theoretical contribution to the development of local entrepreneurship, this article analyses student spin-off companies incubated in universities – a type of business as well as a context still little explored in the literature. On a practical level, it offers insights into potential strategies for improving policies to support youth and student entrepreneurship.

Keywords

University Youth Entrepreneurship – Business incubator Local development Student spin-off companies 

Résumé

Universités, partenariats locaux et promotion des jeunes entrepreneurs – Les jeunes entrepreneurs ont gagné en notoriété ces dernières années, mais rares sont les études qui examinent les particularités des sociétés créées par des étudiants en milieu universitaire (appelées également entreprises dérivées, créées par essaimage ou issues du progrès technologique), ou encore « l’écosystème » dans lequel elles sont incubées et amenées « à éclosion » . Il existe parallèlement une demande d’études supplémentaires sur le rôle des universités dans le développement local de ces entreprises. Dans la pratique se fait sentir la demande croissante d’une interaction et d’un engagement de la part des universités dans le contexte local au-delà de leurs « murs » institutionnels. Cet article poursuit par conséquent l’objectif de cerner la manière dont les universités rassemblent des partenaires locaux pour soutenir les jeunes entrepreneurs. Les auteurs ont mené dans ce but une étude de cas multiples qui a identifié les processus, les caractéristiques et les auteurs impliqués dans l’apparition de ces réseaux. À titre de contribution théorique au développement de l’entrepreneuriat local, ils analysent des entreprises créées par des étudiants et incubées en milieu universitaire – type d’activité et contexte encore peu étudiés. À un niveau pratique, ils fournissent des renseignements sur les stratégies pouvant améliorer les politiques de soutien aux jeunes entrepreneurs.

Resumen

Universidades, socios locales y la promoción de el emprendedurismo joven – El emprededurismo joven ha ganado protagonismo en los últimos años, pero existen pocos estudios que investiguen las características de las empresas creadas por los estudiantes en el ámbito universitario (también conocidas como empresas spin-off de estudiantes) o el “ecosistema” en el que estas empresas se incuban y “eclosionan”. Paralelamente, se hace un llamamiento a más investigación sobre el papel que juegan las universidades en el desarrollo local de estas empresas. En la práctica, existe una creciente demanda para que las universidades actúen y participen en el contexto local más allá de sus “muros” institucionales. Por lo tanto, el propósito de este artículo es entender cómo las universidades reúnen a los socios locales en apoyo a los jóvenes empresarios. Para tanto, los autores realizaron un estudio de casos múltiples que identificó los procesos, características y actores participantes en la formación de estas redes. Como contribución teórica al desarrollo del emprendedurismo local, este artículo analiza las empresas spin-off estudiantiles incubadas en las universidades – un tipo de negocio y un contexto todavía poco explorado en la literatura. En el plano práctico, ofrece una visión de las posibles estrategias para mejorar las políticas de apoyo a la iniciativa empresarial de los jóvenes y estudiantes.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Éder D. Bezerra
    • 1
  • Cândido Borges
    • 2
  • Tales Andreassi
    • 1
  1. 1.Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV/EAESP)São PauloBrazil
  2. 2.Universidade Federal de Goiás, Faculdade de Administração, Ciências Contábeis e Ciências Econômicas (FACE/UFG)GoiâniaBrazil

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