Integration of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem elements: The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

Abstract

At Michigan Technological University we have carried a long-term goal and expectation for student start-ups and other commercial outcomes from interdisciplinary student-led design programs. Over the years, and through the efforts of a few individuals, we have developed pockets of programs and support resources in an effort to advance this goal and to assist students in following through on their innovation and entrepreneurship interests. While these programs and resources have resulted in some successes, to-date we have largely fallen short of our goals regarding innovative products in the marketplace and new companies founded by students. Within the past two years however, we have experienced a perfect storm of efforts, interests and activities that have now aligned to allow for significant traction in the realization of a cohesive set of resources - what we refer to as an integrated Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Ecosystem. The goals of our integrated ecosystem include the creation of cohesive learning environments, programs, and services that better engage students, faculty and staff in a) developing an innovation and entrepreneurial mindset, b) creating a bridge across academic units and the community at-large to foster collaboration, and c) connecting student innovators and entrepreneurs with resource networks that enable outcomes related to startup business execution and market entry for new innovative products. Through this paper we share our grass roots journey to creating an I&E Ecosystem on our campus, and to provide information on the programs, individuals, and networks that have helped us to move forward along the way. We will also describe our efforts to assess the state of evolution of the broad I&E Ecosystem over time. Through the efforts of a few champions who have maintained a passion for creating this ecosystem, and as the result of a series of fortunate circumstances, this journey has recently resulted in; a) the creation of an interdisciplinary college with innovation and entrepreneurship as a core element of its mission, b) active participation in transformative programs such as I-Corps, Pathways to Innovation, and University Innovation Fellows, c) the development of new educational offerings and adjustments to existing offerings, and d) support from entrepreneurial alumni. We will share how this decade long journey is generating a cultural change on our campus and discuss the lessons we've learned along the way.