The under-researched role of alumni spinoff entrepreneurs in upgrading a university’s entrepreneurial support structure

Essential ingredient or just a decorative accessory

verfasst von

Rolf Sternberg, Arne Vorderwülbecke

Abstract

University spin-off formation can impact local economic growth. This paper addresses the contribution to a university's entrepreneurial support structure by individuals who started a company out of a university. If this contribution is sustainable enough, it may induce a self-amplifying process by which the university's entrepreneurial support-structure is continuously upgraded. Based on a qualitative case study of Leibniz University Hannover, including expert interviews and an in-depth document analyses, it is shown that alumni spin-off entrepreneurs indeed play an important role for a university's entrepreneurial support structure. However, the empirical findings indicate to a differentiation in respect of the nature of such a contribution. While it is an essential ingredient for the realization of particular support measures, it is only a decorative accessory for the evolution of such a structure. The contribution of alumni spin-off entrepreneurs to the upgrade of a university's entrepreneurial support structure leads to the named self-amplifying process.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Wirtschafts- und Kulturgeographie

Typ

Beitrag in Buch/Sammelwerk

Seiten

166-191

Anzahl der Seiten

26

Publikationsdatum

13.12.2019

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Volkswirtschaftslehre, Ökonometrie und Finanzen (insg.), Betriebswirtschaft, Management und Rechnungswesen (insg.), Sozialwissenschaften (insg.)

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 8 – Anständige Arbeitsbedingungen und wirtschaftliches Wachstum

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.4337/9781784715717.00017 (Zugang: Geschlossen)