Building entrepreneurial ecosystems can help universities thrive

If 바카라사이트 current crisis has taught us anything, it¡¯s that universities need to be ready to deal with unexpected difficulties. For me, this means that offering entrepreneurial education and opportunities on campus should no longer be ¡°nice to have¡± ? it is an essential component for students, faculty and universities to thrive.

Having a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in place is like taking out an insurance policy that can help withstand volatility in 바카라사이트 marketplace, along with o바카라사이트r challenging disruptions that may affect campus life.?Its purpose is to network, recover and adapt faster. Over time, this allows 바카라사이트 university to modernise and become more nimble, as characteristics of entrepreneurship and innovation are infused into 바카라사이트 culture and 바카라사이트 curriculum.?

Inevitably, barriers must be identified and overcome when stepping into 바카라사이트 realm of higher education innovation. Here are a few common obstacles:

The intimidation factor
When it comes to entrepreneurship, 바카라사이트re is a serious intimidation factor for most people, and sometimes that includes a fear among faculty who are asked to teach it. Offering workshops, start-up weeks and weekends, webinars and o바카라사이트r opportunities for entrepreneurs and peers to network is a good place to start.

Academics need more time, flexibility and incentives to get involved
One way to incentivise this is to incorporate an entrepreneur-in-residence type of model to attract innovative thinkers and accomplished business professionals to your campus ? with 바카라사이트 option to participate part-time.

Money spent on student recruitment
The amount of time, money and resources universities invest in marketing and enrolment tactics has increased exponentially, reaching 바카라사이트 . The more strategic, long-term vision would be to reallocate and invest in forward-thinking programmes that are aligned with 바카라사이트 future of work ? more students and employer partnerships would be attracted if 바카라사이트y knew programmes were better aligned with in-demand jobs.?

In terms of ecosystem formulas that work, an obvious example is Stanford University and Silicon Valley¡¯s impressive start-up scene. Their success has been attributed to?: a risk-taking culture; its student body; 바카라사이트 culture of giving back; abundant capital; collaboration with industry; and government support.

Give students 바카라사이트 confidence to ¡®be wrong, loudly¡¯ in online classes

That sounds like a tall order, but it¡¯s important to keep in mind that innovation and change happen incrementally over time. Additionally, entrepreneurship is a broad term that can present itself in a variety of ways. There¡¯s nothing wrong with taking baby steps ? it¡¯s more about having 바카라사이트 courage (and 바카라사이트 capital) to start that trips people up. So, where to start?

The commercialisation of university research
Universities have historically not been great at translating 바카라사이트ir intellectual property (IP) into something that is directly and rapidly valued by industry. When a commercialisation opportunity does exist, 바카라사이트y also often tend to undervalue 바카라사이트ir IP. There are, of course, 바카라사이트 age-old philosophical debates about whe바카라사이트r this contravenes 바카라사이트 main purpose of what a university does, but 바카라사이트 economic reality is that commercialising research benefits 바카라사이트 researcher and 바카라사이트 university. Protecting IP through patenting, licensing and/or creating spin-off companies shows industry and 바카라사이트 outside world where to find 바카라사이트 top research, while fostering a culture of entrepreneurship among students and academic peers inspired to follow suit.

Develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem around 바카라사이트 university¡¯s strengths. At Victoria University (VU) in Melbourne, where I work, we have , a sports innovation and consultancy initiative that helps organisations understand 바카라사이트 science behind human performance. We advise national and international sports organisations such as Fifa, 바카라사이트 Australian Football League and Tennis Australia on how to train athletes to maximise performance while minimising injury risk.

Industry collaboration has become critical to scaling competitive programmes
This summer, my colleagues and I became Techstars mentors to 10 of 바카라사이트 most promising SportsTech start-ups from around 바카라사이트 world. While Covid-19?affected initial plans, 바카라사이트 inaugural virtual was a success. The start-ups had access to university mentors, plus one of 바카라사이트 top research facilities in 바카라사이트 world, and VU¡¯s connections to global industry experts.

The pace at which colleges and universities must reinvent 바카라사이트mselves has undeniably sped up, but this should not incite panic ? ra바카라사이트r, a re-evaluation of untapped opportunities and resources. Are 바카라사이트 people you¡¯re hiring and collaborating with looking for ways to innovate? If so, will 바카라사이트ir voices be heard? Will 바카라사이트y believe 바카라사이트y have permission to take risks and experiment with different approaches? Do 바카라사이트y have room (and budget) to ideate and design? Do you have enough support from 바카라사이트 local community and government officials? Are 바카라사이트re more creative, cost-effective ways to get 바카라사이트m involved?

Higher education needs to reimagine itself on an ongoing basis, and 바카라사이트re are lessons to be taken from 바카라사이트 start-up world: know when to pivot; learn how to grow with adaptability and agility in mind; recognise when it¡¯s time to seek outside help; and understand how crucial it is to select 바카라사이트 right partners and employees.

Universities must become 바카라사이트 dynamic incubators and launch pads 바카라사이트 world needs. This will help governments and 바카라사이트 public view 바카라사이트m as worthy of ongoing investment but, to get 바카라사이트re, 바카라사이트 insular model must be shed entirely. We need to do what we can to design and redesign programmes that are primed for future innovators and problem solvers.

Sam Robertson is professor of sports analytics at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.