“Specificity of knowledge based entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe”

Knowledge based entrepreneurship is not the word that springs to mind when thinking about CEE. Yet, you may be surprised to learn how many examples of KBEs actually do come from this part of the world. In this presentation I will try to give an overview of knowledge based entrepreneurship (KBE) in Central and Eastern Europe from different angles. I will combine overview of popular with less known examples of success cases of KBEs from CEE with my academic research on the issue. We will look specifically into the issue of new technology based firms, their typology and characteristics especially when compared to archetypical models. Also, we will explore how business environment and external networks affect growth of KBEs in CEE. I expect that my arguments and evidence will resonate with similar accounts of KBE in other emerging or middle income economies which I hope will be a good basis for discussion.

Professor Slavo Radosevic, Professor of Industry and innovation , UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies, UK
Professor Radosevic’s research is in the area of economics of technological change and innovation studies with special emphasis on countries of central and Eastern Europe. His research is exploring issues of growth and structural change through innovation systems, entrepreneurship, international business and innovation policy perspectives.
 

"The Role of Incubators in Facilitating University-industry Partnerships: the Case of Espaitec, Science and Technology Park in Spain"

Business incubators are very well known in innovation ecosystems as the main mechanisms to support the development of start-ups by providing them with business advisory and administrative support services. This support is most needed at the beginning of a company’s life cycle, when it is most at risk of failure, from then on accelerators starts to play a relevant role. The number of European accelerators and incubators has increased dramatically since the start of the financial crisis. Between 2007 and 2013, the number has risen nearly 400%.
However, the link between universities and the private sector remains relatively weak in Europe and both are running Business Incubators Centers to provide support to SMEs. Business schools and universities usually have their own venture labs, but are rarely open to entrepreneurs outside their community. Therefore, there is still room for greater information flow and knowledge transfer. This could be achieved by transforming universities and business schools into business hubs.  Usually, the incubators inside Universities are led by Science and Technology Parks that are very effective mechanisms to establish a bridge between academia and industry fostering the creation of partnerships, thanks to their ability to “speak” both languages: academia and business one. Creating an appropriate framework between Universities and Science and Technology Parks will facilitate the generation of innovation and the reinforcement of “Third mission” of the university.