Description
In this paper we examine the links between universities and new entrepreneurship, paying particular attention to the higher education programs and its critical role in the process of new business creation by stimulating the entrepreneurial aspirations.
COULD UNIVERSITIES SUPPORT AND STIMULATE
THE NEW ENTREPRENEURSHIP?
THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE CASE
Lorenzo Petretto
University of Florence
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Purpose, originality and value of paper
In this paper we examine the links between universities and new entrepreneurship, paying
particular attention to the higher education programs and its critical role in the process of new
business creation by stimulating the entrepreneurial aspirations of young students and supporting
the potential entrepreneurs in developing personal capabilities, skills and competences.
In term of content, we argue that universities in order to support new entrepreneurship can
? offer education and training activities and scientific production;
? support spin-offs and incubation activities transferring technology and patenting;
? promote stable relationships and fruitful partnerships with entrepreneurs and capitalists.
In fact, we believe the University with high quality teaching and scientific production can, first
of all, be potential engines for the economic and entrepreneurial development of a country.
Second, spin off and incubation activities can aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-
up facilitating the access to material, financial and relational resources. Finally, we believe that
university can educate potential entrepreneurs transferring more codified knowledge into
marketing, administrative, financial, technological and other areas.
Methodology and research implication
This paper focuses on the following research questions:
1. How can universities activities encourage an entrepreneurial thinking to be applied by students
in start-ups?
2. How can universities activities educate potential entrepreneurs to transfer skills and
competences acquired from the higher education programs to the new businesses start-ups?
3. Can higher education programs support collaboration between universities and
entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up?
A literature review on new business creation, and relationships between higher education
and entrepreneurial activities will be provided. We will present the case of University of
Florence and its specific entrepreneurial activities and programs for undergraduate and graduate
students.
The MAIR model (Motivation and Confidence, Abilities & Skills Development, Ideas and
Resources) will be used to classify the activities and underline the special challenges of
entrepreneurship education and the role of higher education in an entrepreneurial process.
The structure of this paper is the following: first, we present the research questions and the
methodology adopted, then we discuss a specific case study (University of Florence) and we
propose an application of an interpretive model (MAIR Model). Finally, we draw some
conclusions and future research proposals.
Paper type: Case Study
Keywords:
University, higher education, new entrepreneurship, start-up, network, and social capital
1. INTRODUCTION
The creation of a new firm is the result of a complex process involving the personal
characteristics of the potential entrepreneur and an adequate combination of vocation,
capabilities, and material and immaterial resources. Therefore, during the process, it is necessary
to pay particular attention to the creation, setting-up and integration of the different skills,
knowledge and know-how that potential entrepreneurs need to have in order to successfully start
a new venture. Recently, the new business start-ups studies are focusing on the role that
Universities and entrepreneurial centers, through its research and education activities, can and
should play in sustaining and stimulating the development of knowledge and managerial
competencies (Carlsson, 2005, Vallini e Simoni 2006).
In particular we stress the role that Universities can play in supporting and stimulating both
internal and external factors (Sorrentino, 2003) that seem to influence the success of a start up:
offering higher education programs and entrepreneurial and business activities,
transferring technology, and
providing services to start-up companies.
Recently, more and more universities have been integrating entrepreneurial and business
activities into their courses and programs, which stimulate ‘awareness’ of entrepreneurship and
which allow students to develop the basic skills and abilities needed for any entrepreneurial
process (Finkle and Deeds 2001, Garavan and ÒCinneide 2003, Katz 2003, Frank 2005, Vallini
and Simoni 2006). In the USA this phenomenon is firmly established, beginning in the early 30s
at Harvard University and then spreading substantially to other campuses in the early 60s
(Ivancevich 1991). Equally, in Italy, since the last fifteen years, many Universities started to
offer similar activities and programs in order to support new entrepreneurs. In fact, as in the
USA, at the present in Italy higher education programs and entreprenuerial activities promoted
by Universities generally include different management courses, orientation meetings with
students, internships and work experiences within companies to facilitate and reinforce the
student’s knowledge and capabilities. Moreover, there are a large number of partnerships with
incubators and science parks for transferring the results of the scientific research and facilitating
the high tech start-ups.
Stemming from the above observations, the purpose of our study, is to analyze the
relationship between universities and new entrepreneurship, paying particular attention to the
role that higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities can play within it. In this paper
“higher education programs” is intended as the process, or series of activities, that allows an
individual to develop knowledge, skills and capacities and those abilities needed to evaluate and
solve specific entrepreneurial problems (Hynes, 1996).
Specifically, we discuss the case of University of Florence (Italy), that is an institution
that offers one of the most well-rounded programs in the field of entrepreneurship and general
management teaching with a large combination of undergraduate programs and a specific post-
graduate program (Business Management).
University of Florence could be also considered an important engine for economic development
as well as a center for the diffusion of entrepreneurship. In fact, in the last years it implemented
finalized entrepreneurial activities and services to university spin-offs (e.g. a new laison office
and an incubator located in the scientific campus) to facilitate the communication and
dissemination of the scientific results.
The structure of this paper is the following: first, we present the research questions and
the methodology adopted, then we discuss a specific case study (University of Florence) and we
propose an application of an interpretive model (MAIR Model). Finally, we draw some
conclusions and future research proposals.
2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, ASSUMPTIONS AND METHODOLOGY
Higher education programs are becoming increasingly more strictly related to the need to
spread knowledge and know-how as a means for training new entrepreneurs and, consequently,
for creating new entrepreneurship. It is precisely from this standpoint that business and
entrepreneurial programs promoted by universities may become a strategic factor for generating
new entrepreneurship, for the qualification and competitiveness of new ventures and for the
developing of human resources of the highest level.
In Italy, the management, organization and promotion of educational, training and research
activities dealing with entrepreneurship is, typically, carried out by the Faculties of Economic,
which can be considered the hubs for entrepreneurial activities and the main starting point for all
the other entrepreneurial higher education activities promoted by the universities.
We may then point out that the promotion and setting-up of these programs allows future
entrepreneurs to find themselves within a system of networks which:
legitimates and supports their entrepreneurial decisions (through legitimation networks)
creating a climate of shared values having a substantial influence on entrepreneurial
decisions,
increases the possibility to evaluate and choose market opportunities (opportunity
networks),
provides access to information and material and intangible resources (resource networks).
Having access to such networks can therefore be positively linked to the creation of new
firms and to the possibility to achieve good performance in their first years of life (Aldrich et al.
1986, Naphiet and Ghoshal 1998, Liao and Welsch 2005). On one hand, the networks legitimate,
encourage and stimulate the processes of new business creation, and, on the other hand, they
facilitate the access to pivotal resources and information needed for the successful start-up.
In term of content, we argue that universities can activate and stimulate the above-mentioned
system of networks
offering education and training activities and scientific production,
supporting spin-offs and incubation activities transferring technology and patenting,
promoting stable relationships and fruitful partnerships with entrepreneurs and capitalists.
In fact, Universities with high quality teaching and scientific production can, first of all, be
potential engines for the economic and entrepreneurial development of a country. Second, spin
off and incubation activities can aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up facilitating
the access to material, financial and relational resources. Finally, Universities can educate
potential entrepreneurs transferring more codified knowledge into marketing, administrative,
financial, technological and other areas.
On the basis of those considerations our work is based on three assumptions:
1. universities, with high quality teaching and scientific production, are potential engines for
the economic and entrepreneurial development of a country,
2. higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities can support collaboration
between universities and entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of
a start-up
3. higher education programs are strictly related to entrepreneurial competencies and to the
consequential success rate of start-up companies.
The research questions that we aim to evaluate are:
1. How can universities activities encourage an entrepreneurial thinking to be applied by
students in start-ups?
2. How can universities activities educate potential entrepreneurs to transfer skills and
competences acquired from the higher education programs to the new businesses start-ups?
3. Can higher education programs support collaboration between universities and
entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up?
We assume the research perspective of potential entrepreneurs interested benefiting from
relationships, resources and abilities developed through higher education programs.
We adopt a descriptive case study methodology (Yin 1989 and 1993). We selected University
of Florence as it widely considered as an exemplary case and, as such it can be used to interpret,
with an exploratory approach, the phenomenon under study. We used multiple sources of
evidence, such as interviews, direct observations, physical evidence, analysis of corporate
balance sheets, documents, web sites and secondary data collected from newspapers, magazines
and trade journals.
The unit of analysis is the activities and programs promoted by University of Florence
and their relationship with the new business creation process. For the selection of these specific
activities we used a theoretical model: the MAIR model (Motivation, Abilities and Skills, Ideas,
and Resources) (Hartshon 1998). It was previously applied in 2004 by NCGE (National Council
for Graduate Entrepreneurship) to monitor the support offered to students at the affiliated
universities (figure 1). As result of the application of this model, we carried out an analysis on
the impact of higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities on motivation,
knowledge, opportunities, resources, and performance and we tried to underline the role of these
programs in an entrepreneurial process.
Figure 1: MAIR Model and entrepreneurial activities
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
IDEAS RESOURCES
Role Model and Case studies Courses and classes Idea Workshops Enterprise learning
Networking opportunities Conferences, worksops and talks Networking opportunities Techonology Transfer Activity
Enterprise forum and clubs Works Experiences and stages Idea concept banks Incubation
Enterprise Events and Awards Entrepreneurial Summer School Research idea prototyping Funding
Mentoring Business Plan Competition Business Concept Competition Central support union
Idea Workshops Spin off activities
Source: authors’ adaptation from NCGE (2004)
3. A THEORETICAL ACADEMIC CASE: THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE
University of Florence is a public university located in the center of Italy. At present, the
research and education activities are powered by 12 Faculties and 70 departments. On the
academic year 2006-2007, more than 8450 students enrolled at the University of Florence (1115
the Faculty of Economic). Of the 2300 faculty members, 832 are full professor, 738 associate
professor and 737 researchers.
Table I: University of Florence a la glance
Source: internal report Academic year 2006-2007
832 Full Professors
738 Associate Professors UNIVERSITY MEMBERS
737 Researchers
NUMBERS OF STUDENTS ENROLLED 2006-2007 8461
FACULTIES 12
DEPARTMENTS 70
SCIENTIFIC AREAS 5
INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTERS 13
CENTERS OF STUDY 16
INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTERS 13
RESEARCHES CENTERS 10
Library
Associations
Interdisciplinary center
OTHER FACILITIES
Info points
Since the last years one of the most important objective of University of Florence is to
lead the global advancement of entrepreneurship education and practice through the development
of academic, research, and outreach initiatives that can inspire entrepreneurial thinking and
cultivate entrepreneurial leadership in all organization and society.
In order to support entrepreneurship, the University implemented finalized education
activities, services to university spin-offs, and patent licensing. Moreover, the close collaboration
with the local and regional government, the Chamber of Commerce of Florence and with a large
number of firms can provide further benefits for the potential entrepreneur, including the
possibility of
attending and enrolling on significant extra curricula activities (e.g. professionalizing
programs, meetings and workshops),
building networks and contacts with these institutions that can enable them to interact
directly with other entrepreneurs, and, consequently, to acquire the needed link between
people, ideas and resources that all entrepreneurial processes require and,
exposing them to a global network and a system of alliances made up of relations,
contacts, and exchanges of ideas to bring students closer to entrepreneurs.
Using the MAIR Model (figure 2), we categorized and divided the entrepreneurial activities
promoted by University of Florence, that can
motivate potential entrepreneurs (legitimation networks) by influencing personal and
motivational variables (variable MAIR: motivation and confidence) (e.g. meetings,
conferences, study and work groups, promotion of spin off activities),
create a network that connects students, professors and the business world, motivating
and legitimating (legitimation networks) the entrepreneurial activity (variable MAIR:
motivation and confidence),
increase and develop an entrepreneurial climate and culture where students can work and
mature academically and professionally (legitimation networks),
share entrepreneurial abilities, competences, skills and capacities (variable MAIR:
Abilities and Skills Development),
assist and facilitate the starting and development of new entrepreneurial ideas (variable
MAIR Ideas) (opportunities and resource networks), and
facilitate the access to material and financial resources (variable MAIR: Resources)
(resource networks) (e.g. Incubator, spin off activities, technology transfer, work experiences,
and stages)
Figure 2: MAIR Model and entrepreneurial activities at University of Florence
Outreach activities
Contact with consulting firms Outreach activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Possibility to enter into the
incubator system
Laison office
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Conferences and worksops
Erasmus and socrates
programs
Spin offs activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Post degree orientation
Incubator Conferences and worksops
Education and training
activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
RESOURCES IDEAS
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
Outreach activities
Contact with consulting firms Outreach activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Possibility to enter into the
incubator system
Laison office
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Conferences and worksops
Erasmus and socrates
programs
Spin offs activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Post degree orientation
Incubator Conferences and worksops
Education and training
activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
RESOURCES IDEAS
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
Referring the academic programs (Education and training activities, courses and
programs) the University of Florence offers interdisciplinary curricula and co-curricula for both
its undergraduate and graduate students focusing on the development of entrepreneurial
competence, skills and capabilities. Alongside its academic programs, for years University of
Florence has been involved in intensive research activity dealing in entrepreneurship (Research
Publications, Conferences and workshops). Further, in order to establish a series of relationships
and contacts between universities, companies and other institutions and to create and proliferate
an entrepreneurial climate and culture (essential element to stimulate the creation and starting of
the process of new entrepreneurship) University of Florence is one of the most active universities
in the promotion of outreach programs (Special programs, Erasmus and Socrates programs,
Professionalizing programs).
In 2002, it signed an agreement with other Italian universities (NetVal: Network per la
valorizzazione della ricerca universitaria – Network for the valorization of the academic
research) to homogenize the criteria that lead the decisions on patenting, spin-offs creation, and
technology transferring in order to identify conditions that could increase the economic impact of
the research results, through licensing, spinning-off and incubators (Incubator system, liason
office) (Piccaluga, 2005, Vallini and Simoni, 2006).
The figure 3 sums up the entrepreneurial activities promoted by University of Florence.
Figure 3: The entrepreneurial activities of University of Florence
RESEARCH INITIATIVES
Conferences
Workshops
Publications
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Special programs
Special events
Outreach programs
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Education and training activities
Undergraduate programs
Graduate programs
SUPPORT STRUCTURES
Incubator
Leason office
Spin offs office
University of Florence
RESEARCH INITIATIVES
Conferences
Workshops
Publications
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Special programs
Special events
Outreach programs
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Education and training activities
Undergraduate programs
Graduate programs
SUPPORT STRUCTURES
Incubator
Leason office
Spin offs office
University of Florence
Academic Programs
The education and training activities are set up in 5 different programs: Undergraduate
Programs, Graduate Programs; Post graduate programs, Ph.D. and Professionalizing programs.
Every program is oriented to an interdisciplinary and modular approach characterized by lessons
on theory, case studies, simulations and integrative and supplementary projects.
The undergraduate curricula integrates core competencies, key business disciplines, and the
social studies into a large number of programs based on courses in accounting, management,
marketing and finance.
The graduate programs promoted by economics and business school cultivate an
entrepreneurial thinking that students can apply in start-up ventures and the corporate
environment. In particular we’d like to stress the graduate program Business Management
launched on the academic year 2003-2004. It’s promoted by Business College (Faculty of
Economic) and is set-up in 8 courses that adopt the entrepreneur’s perspective. The program
focuses on the technical tools needed on the management of firm development processes
(Corporate Governance and Strategic Management) starting from the early stage (Start-up) and
finishing with the process of management recovering and turnaround strategy (turnaround
management). Besides, it takes into consideration, also, the consulting tools (Management
Consulting) and the methodologies for analyzing sectors that can be useful for an entrepreneur in
all of a firm lifecycle (Industries analysis and Operation Management). Business Management
turned out to be a unique case in Italy for its original perspective and the most successful post-
graduate program of the University of Florence in terms of number of students (Vallini and
Simoni, 2006).
The scheme below (table II) catalogs the post graduate programs focusing on the activities
promoted by Economics and Business school. In the right side is detailed the Business
Management program.
Table II: Post graduate program and Business Management program at University of Florence
Business Management
Marketing
Advanced accounting
Management consulting
Advanced development economics
Economic and social sciences
Finance
Business Legislation
Advanced tourism management
Population and society
Statistics for firms
Human resources management
Actuarial sciences
Political economics
Education School & Political Science School
POST GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Political Sciences School
J oint programs
Education School & Literature and Philosophy School
Economics and Business School
Literature and Philosophy School & Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Agriculture School
Architecture School
Pharmacy School
Law School
Engeneering School
Literature and Philosophy School
Medical School
Education School
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Corporate Governance
Strategic Management and Value
Start-up
Management of innovation
Management Consulting
Tournaround Management
Industries Analysis
Operation Management
2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006
N. students 34 64 103
Business Management
Marketing
Advanced accounting
Management consulting
Advanced development economics
Economic and social sciences
Finance
Business Legislation
Advanced tourism management
Population and society
Statistics for firms
Human resources management
Actuarial sciences
Political economics
Education School & Political Science School
POST GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Political Sciences School
J oint programs
Education School & Literature and Philosophy School
Economics and Business School
Literature and Philosophy School & Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Agriculture School
Architecture School
Pharmacy School
Law School
Engeneering School
Literature and Philosophy School
Medical School
Education School
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Corporate Governance
Strategic Management and Value
Start-up
Management of innovation
Management Consulting
Tournaround Management
Industries Analysis
Operation Management
2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006
N. students 34 64 103
The programs for undergraduate and graduate students are also supplemented by post-
graduate programs (Master and Ph.d. programs) and by professionalizing programs made up
with through a partnering, collaborating and integration approach between the university and
many diversified partners that all share the same strategic goal.
On the academic year 2004-2005 the Business School started a program for undergraduate
students, financed by the European Union and with the support of local companies and trade
associations, to create “Experts in design and start-up of new companies”. The curriculum
consists of a total of 810 hours (560 class hours and 250 hours of internship) articulated in an 18
months calendar
,
and it is an integrative program for the undergraduate students.
The innovative integration of diversified teaching methods and learning models is
particularly evident in this program, providing a series of seminars with entrepreneurs, marketing
managers, communication consultants to pass to the students a system of knowledge and
competencies related to all of the phases of the process of new business creation. Moreover the
further application of the competencies developed through the lessons and the laboratory
activities takes place during the internships. The educational strategy is based on a learning
process that take the students from frontal lessons to technical-operative teaching through
laboratory activities, to a final experimentation of the acquired competencies into firms (Vallini
and Simoni, 2006).
Research initiatives
An integral part of the higher education process is the promotion of research and
conference activities needed for the communication of newly developed know-how or innovative
ideas through the organization of conferences, workshops and seminars for the discussion of
studies and researches of scientific interest. This type of commitment is a fundamental source of
new ideas (MAIR Ideas variable) and a direct result of the exchange of projects, study results
and research. Moreover, this offers an opportunity for reciprocal learning-teaching, and for the
adoption and use of innovations so that a virtuous circle of ideas and learning is the result.
For istance, this year, two different international conferences are taking place at University of
Florence: the 11
th
Toulone-Verona conference on Quality Services and the 8
th
Global Conference
on business and economic.
The research activities is also supported by the entrepreneurial center Roberto Fazzi
“Imprenditorialità e governo di impresa”. It was established in 2004 and is based on the
commitment of a group of researchers to study and analyze the management issues adopting the
entrepreneur as the object of analysis. In January 2006, the entrepreneurial center Roberto Fazzi
and the Faculty of Economics organized an international workshop (Entrepreneurship and firm:
the role of entrepreneur) to discuss and debate about entrepreneur and entrepreneurship.
Academic leaders from around the world are invited to participate in the research conference and
the papers presented are published in a special issue of Sinergie, an Italian management review.
Other Activities
Finally, students may also take part in co-curricular programs (Abilities and Skills variable of the
MAIR model). University of Florence offers the possibility to join special programs to support
actions in the fields of mobility (period of study or placement abroad), European projects and
networks providing education and training activities at local, regional and national levels, giving
the chance to live and study in a foreign country, and increasing placements in enterprises by the
end of the program.
For example, the Erasmus Program is an EU co-operation and mobility program in the field of
higher education which promotes the student and staff mobility and European co-operation
involving higher education institutions and other key players in the knowledge-based economy.
University of Florence, in cooperation with associations, research centers, and local government,
carries out also other transversal programs (e.g. Socrates Program, and Leonardo da Vinci
Program) in order to stimulate the creation of an international network and to increase the
dissemination and exploitation of project results.
Alongside these programs, for years University of Florence has been involved in intensive post
degree orientation activities such as work experiences and stages. In these activities, the Faculty
of Economic plays an important role to ensure that the trained tutors, the academics and the stage
committees do their best to connect the students with the business world.
Support Structures
Referring to the MAIR model variable Resource, in 2004 University of Florence
participated, together with the local and regional government and the Chamber of Commerce of
Florence, to the creation of an incubator located in the scientific campus for transferring the
results of the scientific research and facilitating the high-tech start-ups.
The 3.000 square meter incubator, that at the present is assisting 15 start-up companies
(see table III), provides below-market rent on office space and shared services such as
teleconferencing equipment, a conference room, and secretarial services. Marketing, legal, and
accounting services also may be provided.
Table III: Start-up companies at Incubator of Florence
1 BIZWORK ICT and software
2 COMM.IT ICT and software
3 EN-ECO ENERGY FOR ECOLOGY Renewable energy sources
4 ECO TECHNOLOGY Water Treatment & Commercial Water Purification Systems
5 EONTYCH Biotech and Biomedical
6 DFL S.R.L. ICT and web communication
7 ECONOETICA S.R.L ICT and Wireless and mobile system
8 BRANCIFORTI ELETTRONICA Electronic
9 100100 SRL ICT and communication
10 DEGENE SRL Pharmaceutical
11 F&M Microbiology, photosynthesis
12 NETSENSE S.R.L. ICT and Wireless and mobile system
13 EHEALTHTECH Healthcare
14 ECOBIOSERVICES AND RESEARCHES Biotech and Biomedical
15 DR WOLF S.R.L. ICT and software
In the same area, the University of Florence is planning to build new spaces to host other
scientific-technological research centers and it’s planning to create a University-Firm laboratory
on which it will systematically convey initiatives to bring entrepreneurs closer to students (see
for more details Vallini and Simoni, 2006).
The University of Florence has, also, an office for patenting and spin-offs with the goal of
facilitating the technological transfer and the commercial use of the results of researches
conducted. The four academic spin-offs started (see table IV) use University-owned patents and
are participated by the researcher(s), the University and one or more partners.
Table IV: University of Florence spin-offs
1 ESPIKEM Pharmaceutical, biomedical
2 PROTERA Molecular science
3 F&M Microbiology, photosynthesis
4 DEGENE SRL Pharmaceutical
4. SOME SPECIFIC LESSONS FROM UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE CASE
Could higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities offered by University of
Florence became strategic factors for generating new entrepreneurship? And, could higher
education programs and entrepreneurial activities support collaboration between universities and
entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up?
Our analysis clearly revealed how the entrepreneurial activities- including higher education
programs- offered by University of Florence can certainly create the conditions for future
entrepreneurs:
to acquire managerial competence and technological knowledge, skills, expertise and
abilities and share and exchanges ideas, projects and business plan,
to be able to exploit important opportunities, and to acquire strategy, management,
relational skills that are indispensable for the solution to problems that all entrepreneurs
must face in the start up phase,
to network individuals and institutions such as investors, potential partners, business
angels and venture capitalists.
The manner in which such activities are promoted is showing a gradual shift from one way of
thinking based on education and training of the sole individual to a new way of thinking
concentrated on reaching results by way of groups and teams of students and professors. As
result, abilities are put to better use and results achieved and experience matured are exploited
more productively, producing changes and new influences that impact on the entire system
(MAIR Resource variable). Moreover, interactivity and cooperation can allow individuals to
obtain feedback, to take part in extensive collaboration, to share experiences, and to learn from
each other, guaranteeing a systematic approach to entrepreneurial training.
In this sense, the ability of entrepreneurial activities to create new entrepreneurship can
be measured by the propensity and capability of the programs (figure 4):
to facilitate a potential entrepreneur to process and evaluate new entrepreneurial ideas,
to exploit and interpret a possible technological finding or research results,
to recognize a potential market demand
to promote stable relationship and fruitful partnership, and consequently
to develop confidence towards the possible option of becoming entrepreneurs.
The figure 4 shows the relationship and opportunities opened by entrepreneurial activities in the
subsequently steps of the start ups process.
Figure 4: MAIR Model, Entrepreneurial activities and start up process
MAIR MODEL ENTREPRENUERIAL ACTIVTIES START UP PROCESS
Developing managerial competence,
technological knowledge, skills,
expertise and abilities
Stimulating entrpreneurial climate,
vocation and culture
Creating opportunities sharing and
exchanging ideas and projects
Promoting stable relationship and
fruitful partnership
ENTREPRENEURIAL
CONCEPT
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
PRE START-UP
ACTIVITIES
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
OPERATIONAL SET-UP
and CONCEPT
IMPLEMENTATION
IDEAS
INITIAL EVALUATION
AFTER LAUNCH
RESORCES
The scheme shows that higher education programs play a crucial role during all steps in a start-
up process affecting motivational, behavioral and personal variables (Peterman and Kennedy
2004) of the “will-be” entrepreneur and his success potential, and developing managerial
competences and technological knowledge. But, if, on one hand, higher education programs can
facilitate the development of entrepreneurial processes, the programs by themselves my be not
sufficient. In fact, we believe that the commitment of university institutions to produce beneficial
effects on the increase of new entrepreneurship should go beyond the mere education and
training of the individual. A constant and consistent commitment should also be made on the
creation of networks for local cooperation and development of entrepreneurial services (e.g. in
terms of activity for technology transfer or spin off activities). Adopting and following this
integrative holistic approach a potential entrepreneur could be able to fully exploit the
knowledge powered by universities and take advantage of:
the acquisition of the competences needed to exploit the research result,
the policies and tools offered to make entrepreneurial initiatives more appealing thus
attracting university researchers to start new businesses,
the infrastructures, possibly following an incubation model, which on one hand can
stimulate both researchers and educators to became entrepreneurs and, on the other hand
can facilitate access to specific resources that could favor the success of different ideas
on the market.
At present, University of Florence is dedicating resources to the creation and marketing of
innovations and research results to be put towards the creation of new entrepreneurship. In fact,
it’s adopting an holistic approach in the managing entrepreneurial activities (exemplified and
discussed here with the MAIR Model) with
the promotion of activities (including incubation, spin off, technology transfer) carried
out in addition to education and training programs to supplement and integrate know-how
and competencies,
a consistent and continual commitment in further studies, research and conference
activities to share and exchange new potential business ideas, and
the creation of an international network which allow potential entrepreneurs to establish
contacts with potential financers and with the business and work world.
In conclusion, University of Florence is an example of an institution that is achieving excellence
in the promotion of higher education and entrepreneurial programs with results that have great
potential to distinguish themselves in terms of entrepreneurial opportunity. However, and in
addition to this, it can also be concluded that a greater commitment for the University of
Florence should include an increase in the promotion of activities that can allow the community
to benefit from technologies developed. In particular we believe, that for the University of
Florence it’s critical to increase the spin offs activities (the academic spin-offs up to now are
only four) aiding the opening of new entrepreneurship which can evolve into successful new
businesses and thereby new job opportunities.
6. REFERENCES
Alderich H., Rosen B. and Woodwart W. (1986), A social perspective of entrepreneurship/;
preliminary findings from an empirical study, University of North Carolina Press
Carlsson, B. (2005), “University, entrepreneurship, and public policy”. Shane S. (Eds).
Economic development through entrepreneurship. Edward, London
Finkle T.A. and Deeds D. (2001), "Trends in the market for entrepreneurship faculty, 1989-
1998” in Journal of Business Venturing Vol 16 pag 613-630
Frank A. (2005), Developing entrepreneurship skills in the context of higher education, Paper
presented at Built environment education symposium 5-6 september 2005
Garavan T.N. and ÒCinneide B. (2003), "Entrepreneurship education and training programs: a
review and evaluation”, in International Journal of European industrial vol 18 -8 pag 3-12
Hartshon H. (1998), Report for National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) inhttp://www.ncge.org.uk/.
Hynes B. (1996), "Entrepreneurship education and training – introducing entrepreneurship into
non-business disciplines” in Journal of European Industrial training vol 20/8 pag 10-17
Katz, J.A. (2003), "The chronology and intellectual trajectory of American entrepreneurship
education”, in Journal of Business Venturing Vol 18(2) pag 283-300
Ivancevich J.M. (1991), "A traditional faculty member’s perspective on entrepreneurship”, in
Journal of Business Venturing Vol 6 pag 1-7
Liao J. and Weslch H. (2005), "Role of social capital in venture creation: key dimensions and
research implications" in Journal of small business management num 43/4 pag 345-362
Nahapiet J. and Ghoshal S.(1998), "Social Capital, intellectual capital and the organizational
advantage", in Academy of Management Review n. 23 pag 242-266
NCGE National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (2004), Final Project Report: Mapping
Graduate Enterprise Research Paper 002, Business Start-Up @ Leeds Met July 2004
Peternan N. E. and Kennedy J. (2004), “Enterprise education: influencing student’s perceptions
of entrepreneurship”, in Entrepreneurship theory and practice, winter 2003 pag 129-144
Piccaluga, A. (2005), Terza indagine sulla valorizzazione della ricerca nelle università italiane,
Netval, Italia
Sorrentino, M. (2003), Le nuove imprese: Economia delle nuove iniziative imprenditoriali,
Cedam: Padova.
Vallini C. and Simoni C. (2006), Higher Education and entrepreneurial vocation and
capabilities: a University of Florence case, In press
Yin R.K. (1989), Case study research: design and methods Newbury Park, CA SAGE
publications
Yin R.K. (1993), Applications of case study research Applied Social Research Methods Series
Vol 34, SAGE publications
doc_700222575.pdf
In this paper we examine the links between universities and new entrepreneurship, paying particular attention to the higher education programs and its critical role in the process of new business creation by stimulating the entrepreneurial aspirations.
COULD UNIVERSITIES SUPPORT AND STIMULATE
THE NEW ENTREPRENEURSHIP?
THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE CASE
Lorenzo Petretto
University of Florence
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Purpose, originality and value of paper
In this paper we examine the links between universities and new entrepreneurship, paying
particular attention to the higher education programs and its critical role in the process of new
business creation by stimulating the entrepreneurial aspirations of young students and supporting
the potential entrepreneurs in developing personal capabilities, skills and competences.
In term of content, we argue that universities in order to support new entrepreneurship can
? offer education and training activities and scientific production;
? support spin-offs and incubation activities transferring technology and patenting;
? promote stable relationships and fruitful partnerships with entrepreneurs and capitalists.
In fact, we believe the University with high quality teaching and scientific production can, first
of all, be potential engines for the economic and entrepreneurial development of a country.
Second, spin off and incubation activities can aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-
up facilitating the access to material, financial and relational resources. Finally, we believe that
university can educate potential entrepreneurs transferring more codified knowledge into
marketing, administrative, financial, technological and other areas.
Methodology and research implication
This paper focuses on the following research questions:
1. How can universities activities encourage an entrepreneurial thinking to be applied by students
in start-ups?
2. How can universities activities educate potential entrepreneurs to transfer skills and
competences acquired from the higher education programs to the new businesses start-ups?
3. Can higher education programs support collaboration between universities and
entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up?
A literature review on new business creation, and relationships between higher education
and entrepreneurial activities will be provided. We will present the case of University of
Florence and its specific entrepreneurial activities and programs for undergraduate and graduate
students.
The MAIR model (Motivation and Confidence, Abilities & Skills Development, Ideas and
Resources) will be used to classify the activities and underline the special challenges of
entrepreneurship education and the role of higher education in an entrepreneurial process.
The structure of this paper is the following: first, we present the research questions and the
methodology adopted, then we discuss a specific case study (University of Florence) and we
propose an application of an interpretive model (MAIR Model). Finally, we draw some
conclusions and future research proposals.
Paper type: Case Study
Keywords:
University, higher education, new entrepreneurship, start-up, network, and social capital
1. INTRODUCTION
The creation of a new firm is the result of a complex process involving the personal
characteristics of the potential entrepreneur and an adequate combination of vocation,
capabilities, and material and immaterial resources. Therefore, during the process, it is necessary
to pay particular attention to the creation, setting-up and integration of the different skills,
knowledge and know-how that potential entrepreneurs need to have in order to successfully start
a new venture. Recently, the new business start-ups studies are focusing on the role that
Universities and entrepreneurial centers, through its research and education activities, can and
should play in sustaining and stimulating the development of knowledge and managerial
competencies (Carlsson, 2005, Vallini e Simoni 2006).
In particular we stress the role that Universities can play in supporting and stimulating both
internal and external factors (Sorrentino, 2003) that seem to influence the success of a start up:
offering higher education programs and entrepreneurial and business activities,
transferring technology, and
providing services to start-up companies.
Recently, more and more universities have been integrating entrepreneurial and business
activities into their courses and programs, which stimulate ‘awareness’ of entrepreneurship and
which allow students to develop the basic skills and abilities needed for any entrepreneurial
process (Finkle and Deeds 2001, Garavan and ÒCinneide 2003, Katz 2003, Frank 2005, Vallini
and Simoni 2006). In the USA this phenomenon is firmly established, beginning in the early 30s
at Harvard University and then spreading substantially to other campuses in the early 60s
(Ivancevich 1991). Equally, in Italy, since the last fifteen years, many Universities started to
offer similar activities and programs in order to support new entrepreneurs. In fact, as in the
USA, at the present in Italy higher education programs and entreprenuerial activities promoted
by Universities generally include different management courses, orientation meetings with
students, internships and work experiences within companies to facilitate and reinforce the
student’s knowledge and capabilities. Moreover, there are a large number of partnerships with
incubators and science parks for transferring the results of the scientific research and facilitating
the high tech start-ups.
Stemming from the above observations, the purpose of our study, is to analyze the
relationship between universities and new entrepreneurship, paying particular attention to the
role that higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities can play within it. In this paper
“higher education programs” is intended as the process, or series of activities, that allows an
individual to develop knowledge, skills and capacities and those abilities needed to evaluate and
solve specific entrepreneurial problems (Hynes, 1996).
Specifically, we discuss the case of University of Florence (Italy), that is an institution
that offers one of the most well-rounded programs in the field of entrepreneurship and general
management teaching with a large combination of undergraduate programs and a specific post-
graduate program (Business Management).
University of Florence could be also considered an important engine for economic development
as well as a center for the diffusion of entrepreneurship. In fact, in the last years it implemented
finalized entrepreneurial activities and services to university spin-offs (e.g. a new laison office
and an incubator located in the scientific campus) to facilitate the communication and
dissemination of the scientific results.
The structure of this paper is the following: first, we present the research questions and
the methodology adopted, then we discuss a specific case study (University of Florence) and we
propose an application of an interpretive model (MAIR Model). Finally, we draw some
conclusions and future research proposals.
2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, ASSUMPTIONS AND METHODOLOGY
Higher education programs are becoming increasingly more strictly related to the need to
spread knowledge and know-how as a means for training new entrepreneurs and, consequently,
for creating new entrepreneurship. It is precisely from this standpoint that business and
entrepreneurial programs promoted by universities may become a strategic factor for generating
new entrepreneurship, for the qualification and competitiveness of new ventures and for the
developing of human resources of the highest level.
In Italy, the management, organization and promotion of educational, training and research
activities dealing with entrepreneurship is, typically, carried out by the Faculties of Economic,
which can be considered the hubs for entrepreneurial activities and the main starting point for all
the other entrepreneurial higher education activities promoted by the universities.
We may then point out that the promotion and setting-up of these programs allows future
entrepreneurs to find themselves within a system of networks which:
legitimates and supports their entrepreneurial decisions (through legitimation networks)
creating a climate of shared values having a substantial influence on entrepreneurial
decisions,
increases the possibility to evaluate and choose market opportunities (opportunity
networks),
provides access to information and material and intangible resources (resource networks).
Having access to such networks can therefore be positively linked to the creation of new
firms and to the possibility to achieve good performance in their first years of life (Aldrich et al.
1986, Naphiet and Ghoshal 1998, Liao and Welsch 2005). On one hand, the networks legitimate,
encourage and stimulate the processes of new business creation, and, on the other hand, they
facilitate the access to pivotal resources and information needed for the successful start-up.
In term of content, we argue that universities can activate and stimulate the above-mentioned
system of networks
offering education and training activities and scientific production,
supporting spin-offs and incubation activities transferring technology and patenting,
promoting stable relationships and fruitful partnerships with entrepreneurs and capitalists.
In fact, Universities with high quality teaching and scientific production can, first of all, be
potential engines for the economic and entrepreneurial development of a country. Second, spin
off and incubation activities can aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up facilitating
the access to material, financial and relational resources. Finally, Universities can educate
potential entrepreneurs transferring more codified knowledge into marketing, administrative,
financial, technological and other areas.
On the basis of those considerations our work is based on three assumptions:
1. universities, with high quality teaching and scientific production, are potential engines for
the economic and entrepreneurial development of a country,
2. higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities can support collaboration
between universities and entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of
a start-up
3. higher education programs are strictly related to entrepreneurial competencies and to the
consequential success rate of start-up companies.
The research questions that we aim to evaluate are:
1. How can universities activities encourage an entrepreneurial thinking to be applied by
students in start-ups?
2. How can universities activities educate potential entrepreneurs to transfer skills and
competences acquired from the higher education programs to the new businesses start-ups?
3. Can higher education programs support collaboration between universities and
entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up?
We assume the research perspective of potential entrepreneurs interested benefiting from
relationships, resources and abilities developed through higher education programs.
We adopt a descriptive case study methodology (Yin 1989 and 1993). We selected University
of Florence as it widely considered as an exemplary case and, as such it can be used to interpret,
with an exploratory approach, the phenomenon under study. We used multiple sources of
evidence, such as interviews, direct observations, physical evidence, analysis of corporate
balance sheets, documents, web sites and secondary data collected from newspapers, magazines
and trade journals.
The unit of analysis is the activities and programs promoted by University of Florence
and their relationship with the new business creation process. For the selection of these specific
activities we used a theoretical model: the MAIR model (Motivation, Abilities and Skills, Ideas,
and Resources) (Hartshon 1998). It was previously applied in 2004 by NCGE (National Council
for Graduate Entrepreneurship) to monitor the support offered to students at the affiliated
universities (figure 1). As result of the application of this model, we carried out an analysis on
the impact of higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities on motivation,
knowledge, opportunities, resources, and performance and we tried to underline the role of these
programs in an entrepreneurial process.
Figure 1: MAIR Model and entrepreneurial activities
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
IDEAS RESOURCES
Role Model and Case studies Courses and classes Idea Workshops Enterprise learning
Networking opportunities Conferences, worksops and talks Networking opportunities Techonology Transfer Activity
Enterprise forum and clubs Works Experiences and stages Idea concept banks Incubation
Enterprise Events and Awards Entrepreneurial Summer School Research idea prototyping Funding
Mentoring Business Plan Competition Business Concept Competition Central support union
Idea Workshops Spin off activities
Source: authors’ adaptation from NCGE (2004)
3. A THEORETICAL ACADEMIC CASE: THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE
University of Florence is a public university located in the center of Italy. At present, the
research and education activities are powered by 12 Faculties and 70 departments. On the
academic year 2006-2007, more than 8450 students enrolled at the University of Florence (1115
the Faculty of Economic). Of the 2300 faculty members, 832 are full professor, 738 associate
professor and 737 researchers.
Table I: University of Florence a la glance
Source: internal report Academic year 2006-2007
832 Full Professors
738 Associate Professors UNIVERSITY MEMBERS
737 Researchers
NUMBERS OF STUDENTS ENROLLED 2006-2007 8461
FACULTIES 12
DEPARTMENTS 70
SCIENTIFIC AREAS 5
INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTERS 13
CENTERS OF STUDY 16
INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTERS 13
RESEARCHES CENTERS 10
Library
Associations
Interdisciplinary center
OTHER FACILITIES
Info points
Since the last years one of the most important objective of University of Florence is to
lead the global advancement of entrepreneurship education and practice through the development
of academic, research, and outreach initiatives that can inspire entrepreneurial thinking and
cultivate entrepreneurial leadership in all organization and society.
In order to support entrepreneurship, the University implemented finalized education
activities, services to university spin-offs, and patent licensing. Moreover, the close collaboration
with the local and regional government, the Chamber of Commerce of Florence and with a large
number of firms can provide further benefits for the potential entrepreneur, including the
possibility of
attending and enrolling on significant extra curricula activities (e.g. professionalizing
programs, meetings and workshops),
building networks and contacts with these institutions that can enable them to interact
directly with other entrepreneurs, and, consequently, to acquire the needed link between
people, ideas and resources that all entrepreneurial processes require and,
exposing them to a global network and a system of alliances made up of relations,
contacts, and exchanges of ideas to bring students closer to entrepreneurs.
Using the MAIR Model (figure 2), we categorized and divided the entrepreneurial activities
promoted by University of Florence, that can
motivate potential entrepreneurs (legitimation networks) by influencing personal and
motivational variables (variable MAIR: motivation and confidence) (e.g. meetings,
conferences, study and work groups, promotion of spin off activities),
create a network that connects students, professors and the business world, motivating
and legitimating (legitimation networks) the entrepreneurial activity (variable MAIR:
motivation and confidence),
increase and develop an entrepreneurial climate and culture where students can work and
mature academically and professionally (legitimation networks),
share entrepreneurial abilities, competences, skills and capacities (variable MAIR:
Abilities and Skills Development),
assist and facilitate the starting and development of new entrepreneurial ideas (variable
MAIR Ideas) (opportunities and resource networks), and
facilitate the access to material and financial resources (variable MAIR: Resources)
(resource networks) (e.g. Incubator, spin off activities, technology transfer, work experiences,
and stages)
Figure 2: MAIR Model and entrepreneurial activities at University of Florence
Outreach activities
Contact with consulting firms Outreach activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Possibility to enter into the
incubator system
Laison office
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Conferences and worksops
Erasmus and socrates
programs
Spin offs activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Post degree orientation
Incubator Conferences and worksops
Education and training
activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
RESOURCES IDEAS
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
Outreach activities
Contact with consulting firms Outreach activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Possibility to enter into the
incubator system
Laison office
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Conferences and worksops
Erasmus and socrates
programs
Spin offs activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
Post graduate program
(Business Management)
Post degree orientation
Incubator Conferences and worksops
Education and training
activities
Professionalizing programs
(Experts in design and start-up of
new companies)
RESOURCES IDEAS
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
Referring the academic programs (Education and training activities, courses and
programs) the University of Florence offers interdisciplinary curricula and co-curricula for both
its undergraduate and graduate students focusing on the development of entrepreneurial
competence, skills and capabilities. Alongside its academic programs, for years University of
Florence has been involved in intensive research activity dealing in entrepreneurship (Research
Publications, Conferences and workshops). Further, in order to establish a series of relationships
and contacts between universities, companies and other institutions and to create and proliferate
an entrepreneurial climate and culture (essential element to stimulate the creation and starting of
the process of new entrepreneurship) University of Florence is one of the most active universities
in the promotion of outreach programs (Special programs, Erasmus and Socrates programs,
Professionalizing programs).
In 2002, it signed an agreement with other Italian universities (NetVal: Network per la
valorizzazione della ricerca universitaria – Network for the valorization of the academic
research) to homogenize the criteria that lead the decisions on patenting, spin-offs creation, and
technology transferring in order to identify conditions that could increase the economic impact of
the research results, through licensing, spinning-off and incubators (Incubator system, liason
office) (Piccaluga, 2005, Vallini and Simoni, 2006).
The figure 3 sums up the entrepreneurial activities promoted by University of Florence.
Figure 3: The entrepreneurial activities of University of Florence
RESEARCH INITIATIVES
Conferences
Workshops
Publications
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Special programs
Special events
Outreach programs
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Education and training activities
Undergraduate programs
Graduate programs
SUPPORT STRUCTURES
Incubator
Leason office
Spin offs office
University of Florence
RESEARCH INITIATIVES
Conferences
Workshops
Publications
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Special programs
Special events
Outreach programs
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Education and training activities
Undergraduate programs
Graduate programs
SUPPORT STRUCTURES
Incubator
Leason office
Spin offs office
University of Florence
Academic Programs
The education and training activities are set up in 5 different programs: Undergraduate
Programs, Graduate Programs; Post graduate programs, Ph.D. and Professionalizing programs.
Every program is oriented to an interdisciplinary and modular approach characterized by lessons
on theory, case studies, simulations and integrative and supplementary projects.
The undergraduate curricula integrates core competencies, key business disciplines, and the
social studies into a large number of programs based on courses in accounting, management,
marketing and finance.
The graduate programs promoted by economics and business school cultivate an
entrepreneurial thinking that students can apply in start-up ventures and the corporate
environment. In particular we’d like to stress the graduate program Business Management
launched on the academic year 2003-2004. It’s promoted by Business College (Faculty of
Economic) and is set-up in 8 courses that adopt the entrepreneur’s perspective. The program
focuses on the technical tools needed on the management of firm development processes
(Corporate Governance and Strategic Management) starting from the early stage (Start-up) and
finishing with the process of management recovering and turnaround strategy (turnaround
management). Besides, it takes into consideration, also, the consulting tools (Management
Consulting) and the methodologies for analyzing sectors that can be useful for an entrepreneur in
all of a firm lifecycle (Industries analysis and Operation Management). Business Management
turned out to be a unique case in Italy for its original perspective and the most successful post-
graduate program of the University of Florence in terms of number of students (Vallini and
Simoni, 2006).
The scheme below (table II) catalogs the post graduate programs focusing on the activities
promoted by Economics and Business school. In the right side is detailed the Business
Management program.
Table II: Post graduate program and Business Management program at University of Florence
Business Management
Marketing
Advanced accounting
Management consulting
Advanced development economics
Economic and social sciences
Finance
Business Legislation
Advanced tourism management
Population and society
Statistics for firms
Human resources management
Actuarial sciences
Political economics
Education School & Political Science School
POST GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Political Sciences School
J oint programs
Education School & Literature and Philosophy School
Economics and Business School
Literature and Philosophy School & Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Agriculture School
Architecture School
Pharmacy School
Law School
Engeneering School
Literature and Philosophy School
Medical School
Education School
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Corporate Governance
Strategic Management and Value
Start-up
Management of innovation
Management Consulting
Tournaround Management
Industries Analysis
Operation Management
2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006
N. students 34 64 103
Business Management
Marketing
Advanced accounting
Management consulting
Advanced development economics
Economic and social sciences
Finance
Business Legislation
Advanced tourism management
Population and society
Statistics for firms
Human resources management
Actuarial sciences
Political economics
Education School & Political Science School
POST GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Political Sciences School
J oint programs
Education School & Literature and Philosophy School
Economics and Business School
Literature and Philosophy School & Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences
Agriculture School
Architecture School
Pharmacy School
Law School
Engeneering School
Literature and Philosophy School
Medical School
Education School
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Corporate Governance
Strategic Management and Value
Start-up
Management of innovation
Management Consulting
Tournaround Management
Industries Analysis
Operation Management
2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006
N. students 34 64 103
The programs for undergraduate and graduate students are also supplemented by post-
graduate programs (Master and Ph.d. programs) and by professionalizing programs made up
with through a partnering, collaborating and integration approach between the university and
many diversified partners that all share the same strategic goal.
On the academic year 2004-2005 the Business School started a program for undergraduate
students, financed by the European Union and with the support of local companies and trade
associations, to create “Experts in design and start-up of new companies”. The curriculum
consists of a total of 810 hours (560 class hours and 250 hours of internship) articulated in an 18
months calendar
,
and it is an integrative program for the undergraduate students.
The innovative integration of diversified teaching methods and learning models is
particularly evident in this program, providing a series of seminars with entrepreneurs, marketing
managers, communication consultants to pass to the students a system of knowledge and
competencies related to all of the phases of the process of new business creation. Moreover the
further application of the competencies developed through the lessons and the laboratory
activities takes place during the internships. The educational strategy is based on a learning
process that take the students from frontal lessons to technical-operative teaching through
laboratory activities, to a final experimentation of the acquired competencies into firms (Vallini
and Simoni, 2006).
Research initiatives
An integral part of the higher education process is the promotion of research and
conference activities needed for the communication of newly developed know-how or innovative
ideas through the organization of conferences, workshops and seminars for the discussion of
studies and researches of scientific interest. This type of commitment is a fundamental source of
new ideas (MAIR Ideas variable) and a direct result of the exchange of projects, study results
and research. Moreover, this offers an opportunity for reciprocal learning-teaching, and for the
adoption and use of innovations so that a virtuous circle of ideas and learning is the result.
For istance, this year, two different international conferences are taking place at University of
Florence: the 11
th
Toulone-Verona conference on Quality Services and the 8
th
Global Conference
on business and economic.
The research activities is also supported by the entrepreneurial center Roberto Fazzi
“Imprenditorialità e governo di impresa”. It was established in 2004 and is based on the
commitment of a group of researchers to study and analyze the management issues adopting the
entrepreneur as the object of analysis. In January 2006, the entrepreneurial center Roberto Fazzi
and the Faculty of Economics organized an international workshop (Entrepreneurship and firm:
the role of entrepreneur) to discuss and debate about entrepreneur and entrepreneurship.
Academic leaders from around the world are invited to participate in the research conference and
the papers presented are published in a special issue of Sinergie, an Italian management review.
Other Activities
Finally, students may also take part in co-curricular programs (Abilities and Skills variable of the
MAIR model). University of Florence offers the possibility to join special programs to support
actions in the fields of mobility (period of study or placement abroad), European projects and
networks providing education and training activities at local, regional and national levels, giving
the chance to live and study in a foreign country, and increasing placements in enterprises by the
end of the program.
For example, the Erasmus Program is an EU co-operation and mobility program in the field of
higher education which promotes the student and staff mobility and European co-operation
involving higher education institutions and other key players in the knowledge-based economy.
University of Florence, in cooperation with associations, research centers, and local government,
carries out also other transversal programs (e.g. Socrates Program, and Leonardo da Vinci
Program) in order to stimulate the creation of an international network and to increase the
dissemination and exploitation of project results.
Alongside these programs, for years University of Florence has been involved in intensive post
degree orientation activities such as work experiences and stages. In these activities, the Faculty
of Economic plays an important role to ensure that the trained tutors, the academics and the stage
committees do their best to connect the students with the business world.
Support Structures
Referring to the MAIR model variable Resource, in 2004 University of Florence
participated, together with the local and regional government and the Chamber of Commerce of
Florence, to the creation of an incubator located in the scientific campus for transferring the
results of the scientific research and facilitating the high-tech start-ups.
The 3.000 square meter incubator, that at the present is assisting 15 start-up companies
(see table III), provides below-market rent on office space and shared services such as
teleconferencing equipment, a conference room, and secretarial services. Marketing, legal, and
accounting services also may be provided.
Table III: Start-up companies at Incubator of Florence
1 BIZWORK ICT and software
2 COMM.IT ICT and software
3 EN-ECO ENERGY FOR ECOLOGY Renewable energy sources
4 ECO TECHNOLOGY Water Treatment & Commercial Water Purification Systems
5 EONTYCH Biotech and Biomedical
6 DFL S.R.L. ICT and web communication
7 ECONOETICA S.R.L ICT and Wireless and mobile system
8 BRANCIFORTI ELETTRONICA Electronic
9 100100 SRL ICT and communication
10 DEGENE SRL Pharmaceutical
11 F&M Microbiology, photosynthesis
12 NETSENSE S.R.L. ICT and Wireless and mobile system
13 EHEALTHTECH Healthcare
14 ECOBIOSERVICES AND RESEARCHES Biotech and Biomedical
15 DR WOLF S.R.L. ICT and software
In the same area, the University of Florence is planning to build new spaces to host other
scientific-technological research centers and it’s planning to create a University-Firm laboratory
on which it will systematically convey initiatives to bring entrepreneurs closer to students (see
for more details Vallini and Simoni, 2006).
The University of Florence has, also, an office for patenting and spin-offs with the goal of
facilitating the technological transfer and the commercial use of the results of researches
conducted. The four academic spin-offs started (see table IV) use University-owned patents and
are participated by the researcher(s), the University and one or more partners.
Table IV: University of Florence spin-offs
1 ESPIKEM Pharmaceutical, biomedical
2 PROTERA Molecular science
3 F&M Microbiology, photosynthesis
4 DEGENE SRL Pharmaceutical
4. SOME SPECIFIC LESSONS FROM UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE CASE
Could higher education programs and entrepreneurial activities offered by University of
Florence became strategic factors for generating new entrepreneurship? And, could higher
education programs and entrepreneurial activities support collaboration between universities and
entrepreneurship and aid future entrepreneurs in the creation of a start-up?
Our analysis clearly revealed how the entrepreneurial activities- including higher education
programs- offered by University of Florence can certainly create the conditions for future
entrepreneurs:
to acquire managerial competence and technological knowledge, skills, expertise and
abilities and share and exchanges ideas, projects and business plan,
to be able to exploit important opportunities, and to acquire strategy, management,
relational skills that are indispensable for the solution to problems that all entrepreneurs
must face in the start up phase,
to network individuals and institutions such as investors, potential partners, business
angels and venture capitalists.
The manner in which such activities are promoted is showing a gradual shift from one way of
thinking based on education and training of the sole individual to a new way of thinking
concentrated on reaching results by way of groups and teams of students and professors. As
result, abilities are put to better use and results achieved and experience matured are exploited
more productively, producing changes and new influences that impact on the entire system
(MAIR Resource variable). Moreover, interactivity and cooperation can allow individuals to
obtain feedback, to take part in extensive collaboration, to share experiences, and to learn from
each other, guaranteeing a systematic approach to entrepreneurial training.
In this sense, the ability of entrepreneurial activities to create new entrepreneurship can
be measured by the propensity and capability of the programs (figure 4):
to facilitate a potential entrepreneur to process and evaluate new entrepreneurial ideas,
to exploit and interpret a possible technological finding or research results,
to recognize a potential market demand
to promote stable relationship and fruitful partnership, and consequently
to develop confidence towards the possible option of becoming entrepreneurs.
The figure 4 shows the relationship and opportunities opened by entrepreneurial activities in the
subsequently steps of the start ups process.
Figure 4: MAIR Model, Entrepreneurial activities and start up process
MAIR MODEL ENTREPRENUERIAL ACTIVTIES START UP PROCESS
Developing managerial competence,
technological knowledge, skills,
expertise and abilities
Stimulating entrpreneurial climate,
vocation and culture
Creating opportunities sharing and
exchanging ideas and projects
Promoting stable relationship and
fruitful partnership
ENTREPRENEURIAL
CONCEPT
MOTIVATION and
CONFIDENCE
PRE START-UP
ACTIVITIES
ABILITIES and SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
OPERATIONAL SET-UP
and CONCEPT
IMPLEMENTATION
IDEAS
INITIAL EVALUATION
AFTER LAUNCH
RESORCES
The scheme shows that higher education programs play a crucial role during all steps in a start-
up process affecting motivational, behavioral and personal variables (Peterman and Kennedy
2004) of the “will-be” entrepreneur and his success potential, and developing managerial
competences and technological knowledge. But, if, on one hand, higher education programs can
facilitate the development of entrepreneurial processes, the programs by themselves my be not
sufficient. In fact, we believe that the commitment of university institutions to produce beneficial
effects on the increase of new entrepreneurship should go beyond the mere education and
training of the individual. A constant and consistent commitment should also be made on the
creation of networks for local cooperation and development of entrepreneurial services (e.g. in
terms of activity for technology transfer or spin off activities). Adopting and following this
integrative holistic approach a potential entrepreneur could be able to fully exploit the
knowledge powered by universities and take advantage of:
the acquisition of the competences needed to exploit the research result,
the policies and tools offered to make entrepreneurial initiatives more appealing thus
attracting university researchers to start new businesses,
the infrastructures, possibly following an incubation model, which on one hand can
stimulate both researchers and educators to became entrepreneurs and, on the other hand
can facilitate access to specific resources that could favor the success of different ideas
on the market.
At present, University of Florence is dedicating resources to the creation and marketing of
innovations and research results to be put towards the creation of new entrepreneurship. In fact,
it’s adopting an holistic approach in the managing entrepreneurial activities (exemplified and
discussed here with the MAIR Model) with
the promotion of activities (including incubation, spin off, technology transfer) carried
out in addition to education and training programs to supplement and integrate know-how
and competencies,
a consistent and continual commitment in further studies, research and conference
activities to share and exchange new potential business ideas, and
the creation of an international network which allow potential entrepreneurs to establish
contacts with potential financers and with the business and work world.
In conclusion, University of Florence is an example of an institution that is achieving excellence
in the promotion of higher education and entrepreneurial programs with results that have great
potential to distinguish themselves in terms of entrepreneurial opportunity. However, and in
addition to this, it can also be concluded that a greater commitment for the University of
Florence should include an increase in the promotion of activities that can allow the community
to benefit from technologies developed. In particular we believe, that for the University of
Florence it’s critical to increase the spin offs activities (the academic spin-offs up to now are
only four) aiding the opening of new entrepreneurship which can evolve into successful new
businesses and thereby new job opportunities.
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