IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirc/v29y2011i5p911-926.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

University Technology Business Incubators: Helping New Entrepreneurial Firms to Learn to Grow

Author

Listed:
  • Dean Patton

    (Business School, Executive Business Centre, Bournemouth University, 89 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth BH8 8EB, England)

  • Susan Marlow

    (Faculty of Business and Law, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, England)

Abstract

With this paper we explore how differing forms of entrepreneurial learning are facilitated within the context of business incubation. To support new technology venturing, university business incubators offer their tenants professional support and advice plus exposure to entrepreneurial networks with the objective of assisting them to address associated liabilities of newness. Accordingly, new venture founders are offered access to a range of resources to assist them in learning how to commercialize technological ideas. Entrepreneurial learning can be deemed explorative or exploitative; we explore how business incubation assists entrepreneurs to leverage these differing learning approaches to generate a secure resource base within the firm. From case-study evidence we suggest business incubation is effective in aligning a balance of learning approaches which support future growth prospects and add competitive advantage to young, fragile firms. We conclude by suggesting that incubator managers are critical actors in facilitating appropriate learning environments for new technology entrepreneurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Dean Patton & Susan Marlow, 2011. "University Technology Business Incubators: Helping New Entrepreneurial Firms to Learn to Grow," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 29(5), pages 911-926, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:29:y:2011:i:5:p:911-926
    DOI: 10.1068/c10198b
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/c10198b
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/c10198b?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bollingtoft, Anne & Ulhoi, John P., 2005. "The networked business incubator--leveraging entrepreneurial agency?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 265-290, March.
    2. Richard Ferguson & Christer Olofsson, 2004. "Science Parks and the Development of NTBFs-- Location, Survival and Growth," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 5-17, January.
    3. Shepherd, Dean A. & Douglas, Evan J. & Shanley, Mark, 2000. "New venture survival: Ignorance, external shocks, and risk reduction strategies," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 15(5-6), pages 393-410.
    4. Julie M. Hite & William S. Hesterly, 2001. "The evolution of firm networks: from emergence to early growth of the firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 275-286, March.
    5. Rudy Aernoudt, 2004. "Incubators: Tool for Entrepreneurship?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 127-135, September.
    6. Scott Shane & Rakesh Khurana, 2003. "Bringing individuals back in: the effects of career experience on new firm founding," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 12(3), pages 519-543, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. van Weele, Marijn & van Rijnsoever, Frank J. & Nauta, Frans, 2017. "You can't always get what you want: How entrepreneur's perceived resource needs affect the incubator's assertiveness," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 18-33.
    2. Thanh Huynh, 2016. "Early-stage fundraising of university spin-offs: a study through demand-site perspectives," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 345-367, October.
    3. Good, Matthew & Knockaert, Mirjam & Soppe, Birthe & Wright, Mike, 2019. "The technology transfer ecosystem in academia. An organizational design perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 82, pages 35-50.
    4. Frank J. Van Rijnsoever & Marijn A. Van Weele & Chris P. Eveleens, 2017. "Network brokers or hit makers? Analyzing the influence of incubation on start-up investments," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 605-629, June.
    5. Frank J. Van Rijnsoever & Marijn A. Van Weele & Chris P. Eveleens, 0. "Network brokers or hit makers? Analyzing the influence of incubation on start-up investments," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-25.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Catarina Roseira & Carla Ramos & Francisco Maia, 2014. "Understanding Incubator Value – A Network Approach to University Incubators," FEP Working Papers 532, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    2. Li Xiao & David North, 2017. "The graduation performance of technology business incubators in China’s three tier cities: the role of incubator funding, technical support, and entrepreneurial mentoring," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 615-634, June.
    3. Schwartz, Michael, 2010. "A Control Group Study of Incubators’ Impact to Promote Firm Survival," IWH Discussion Papers 11/2010, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    4. Kelley A. Packalen, 2007. "Complementing Capital: The Role of Status, Demographic Features, and Social Capital in Founding Teams’ Abilities to Obtain Resources," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(6), pages 873-891, November.
    5. Silvia Sedita & Roberto Grandinetti, 2014. "Relationships at work in a networked business incubator: the case of H-Farm," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0190, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    6. Schwartz, Michael & Göthner, Maximilian, 2009. "A Novel Approach to Incubator Evaluations: The PROMETHEE Outranking Procedures," IWH Discussion Papers 1/2009, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    7. Mingfeng Tang & Grace Sheila Walsh & Cuiwen Li & Angathevar Baskaran, 2021. "Exploring technology business incubators and their business incubation models: case studies from China," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 90-116, February.
    8. Andreea F. Schiopu & Dragos C. Vasile & Claudia E. Tuclea, 2015. "Principles and Best Practices in Successful Tourism Business Incubators," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 17(38), pages 474-474, February.
    9. Elsie Harper-Anderson & David A. Lewis, 2018. "What Makes Business Incubation Work? Measuring the Influence of Incubator Quality and Regional Capacity on Incubator Outcomes," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 32(1), pages 60-77, February.
    10. J. Piet Hausberg & Sabrina Korreck, 2020. "Business incubators and accelerators: a co-citation analysis-based, systematic literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 151-176, February.
    11. Panagiotis Ganotakis, 2012. "Founders’ human capital and the performance of UK new technology based firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 495-515, September.
    12. Kameliya Deyanova & Nataliia Brehmer & Artur Lapidus & Victor Tiberius & Steve Walsh, 2022. "Hatching start-ups for sustainable growth: a bibliometric review on business incubators," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(7), pages 2083-2109, October.
    13. Manuela Presutti & Giuseppe Cappiello & Martin Johanson, 2022. "Analysing Social Capital and Product Innovativeness in the Relationship Evolution of Born-Global Companies the Mediating Role of Knowledge Acquisition," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 1347-1371, September.
    14. van Weele, Marijn & van Rijnsoever, Frank J. & Nauta, Frans, 2017. "You can't always get what you want: How entrepreneur's perceived resource needs affect the incubator's assertiveness," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 18-33.
    15. Albort-Morant, Gema & Ribeiro-Soriano, Domingo, 2016. "A bibliometric analysis of international impact of business incubators," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1775-1779.
    16. Mian, Sarfraz & Lamine, Wadid & Fayolle, Alain, 2016. "Technology Business Incubation: An overview of the state of knowledge," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 50, pages 1-12.
    17. Brian J. Bergman & Jeffery S. McMullen, 2022. "Helping Entrepreneurs Help Themselves: A Review and Relational Research Agenda on Entrepreneurial Support Organizations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 688-728, May.
    18. Vincent Blok & Sander Thijssen & Stefano Pascucci, 2017. "Understanding Management Practices in Business Incubators: Empirical Evidence of the Factors Impacting the Incubation Process," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 14(04), pages 1-23, August.
    19. Amandine Maus & Sylvie Sammut, 2016. "Le lean management, source d’accélération de l’accompagnement entrepreneurial ?," Post-Print hal-02130357, HAL.
    20. Bibeau, Jean & Meilleur, Roxane & St-Jean, Étienne, 2024. "To formalize, or not to formalize, business incubators’ networks: That is not the question," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:29:y:2011:i:5:p:911-926. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.