International Research Conference on Incubation and Regional Development
Technology Business Incubation Mechanisms and Sustainable Regional Development
In partnership with Journal of Technology Transfer
University of Toulouse, Toulouse Business School, October 23, 2014, Toulouse, France
Wadid LAMINE, Toulouse Business School
Servane DELANOE-GUEGUEN, Toulouse Business School
Keynote speakers:
- Prof. Henry Etzkowitz, Stanford University, USA
- Prof. Alain Fayolle, EM Lyon Business School, France
- Prof. Magnus Klofsten, Linköpings universitet, Sweeden
- Prof. Sarfraz Mian, State University of New York at Oswego, USA
- Prof. Mike Wright, Imperial College London, UK
There is increasing realization among policy makers that both entrepreneurship and innovation have pronounced regional dimensions. The past five decades have witnessed the emergence of technology business incubation as a novel approach to promote local environments for innovative entrepreneurship. There are numerous examples of successful incubation mechanisms such as technology incubators and science parks which have contributed in developing sustainable regional eco-systems with the concentration of innovative entrepreneurial activities, generating intense interest in policy circles (Mian et al. 2012). The connection between innovative entrepreneurship, competitiveness and economic wellbeing has led to a worldwide interest among policy makers to look for strategies that enhance regional economic growth (Corona et al. 2006). It is now widely believed that incubation platforms play a key role to stimulate the development of innovative business climate at the regional level. Especially, to cope with the prevailing global economy challenges, incubation platforms are seen as effective vehicles of job creation (Abetti, 2004) and tools to initiate and revitalize industries and regions (Aaboen, 2009) and they have emerged as one of 'the mainstays of high technology industrial development' (Oakey 2012)
Conceptually, incubators hold out to connect science, technology, education, knowledge, entrepreneurial talent and capital (Smilor & Gill 1986, Mian, 1996). They are embedded in a regional ecosystem composed of key stakeholders such as industrial clusters, universities, colleges, research labs, banks and investors. Thereby, incubators are mechanisms that are uniquely considered to be providing important links in the entrepreneurial value chain at the national and/or regional level (Phan et al, 2005). As hybrid organizations they are often established through collaboration among university, industry and governmental entities, and serve to promote technology diffusion into the local economy (Etzkowitz, et al., 2005). Hypothesized to act as conduits for developing entrepreneurial capital within a region (Audretsch, 2007) their regional role in promoting technology based economic development and contributing towards the enhancement of the image of location is further highlighted by Link and Siegel (2007). With universities increasingly viewed as engines of knowledge oriented regional economic growth through technology transfer and commercialization of research results – a regionally integrated technology incubation mechanism has the potential to serve as the principle vehicle for nurturing and growing such enterprises (Smith and Zhang 2012)
Pioneered in the USA, incubators have emerged worldwide with large number of facilities in the US (1400), Europe (900), China (500), Brazil (400), Mexico (300), and in several emerging nations. Most of the science parks are concentrated in the US (180) and Western Europe (200). This rapidly increasing number of incubation mechanisms has gone together with a proliferation of various incubator models that have given rise to a diverse incubation industry. A contextual analysis of these models as components of their regional ecosystems is warranted to assess their role in regional economic development. It is the best way to shed light on the interaction and dynamics between incubators and their regional actors.
This research day calls for research presentation on exploring that empirical evidence of the role played by modern incubation mechanisms in driving regional innovation and entrepreneurship it their changing environments. It aims to add to the body of knowledge on incubation literature by addressing the following topics:
- Incubation platforms and sustainable regional development;
- Incubators and regional ecosystem;
- Incubation process and structural contingency analysis;
- Incubation spaces as hubs of entrepreneurial networking;
- Incubation and public policy;
- Incubation program assessment and sustainability challenges;
- Incubation mechanism as an entrepreneurial Triple Helix;
- Incubators and entrepreneurial university;
- Incubation and entrepreneurial education
- Moderns incubators and new challenges
- Incubators governance
This is not an exhaustive list and other relevant studies are welcome.
Scientific Committee
Franck Bares, HEC Montreal, Canada
Servane Delanoë-Gueguen, Toulouse Business School, France
Henry Etzkowitz, H-STAR Institute, Stanford University, USA
Alain Fayolle, EM Lyon Business School, France
Aard Groen, University of Twente, the Netherland
Gaël Gueguen, Toulouse Business School, France
Maribel Guerrero, Orkestra - Basque Institute of Competitiveness, Spain
Willem Hulsink, Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management, the Netherlands
Sarah Jack, IEED, LUMS, Lancaster University – UK
Magnus Klofsten, Linköpings universitet, Sweeden
Wadid Lamine, Toulouse Business School, France
Christophe Leyronas, Toulouse Business School, France
Nigel Lockett, Leeds University Business School, UK
Maura McAdam, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland
Sarfraz Mian, State University of New York at Oswego, School of Business, USA.
Philippe Mustar, Mines ParisTech, France
Phillip Phan, The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, USA
Donald Siegel, University at Albany, School of Business USA
Danny Soetanto, IEED, LUMS, Lancaster University – UK
David Urbano, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Mike Wright, Imperial College London, UK
Deadlines, Submission and Review Process:
- 30 May 2014 Deadline for submission of short papers (maximum 1000 words)
- 30 June 2014 Deadline for confirmation to authors
- 15 September 2014 Deadline for submission of full paper
- 30 September 2014 Deadline of registrations
Short papers should address the interest of the topic, the research method, the expected results and the theoretical contribution. All submissions will be subject to a rigorous double-blind peer review process. To be considered for revision, papers must be electronically submitted as an e-mail attachment (Microsoft Word files only) to: w.lamine@tbs-education.fr and s.delanoe@tbs-education.fr
The best papers will be considered for publication in special issues of The Journal of Technology Transfer and Entreprendre & Innover (Papers in both English & French accepted)
Guest editors:
Sarfraz Mian, sarfraz.mian@oswego.edu
Wadid Lamine, w.lamine@tbs-education.fr
Alain Fayolle, fayolle@em-lyon.com
Mike Wright, mike.wright@imperial.ac.uk
Several contributions to the International Research Day on Incubation and Regional Development and case studies of participating practitioners will be published in a volume in the Johns Hopkins University Series on Entrepreneurship (Edward Elgar Press).
Organizing committee:
Servane Delanoë-Gueguen, Hanna Dohlen-Opshal, Christophe Favoreu, Gaël Gueguen, Denis Lacoste, Wadid Lamine, Stéphanie Lavigne, Christophe Leyronas, Yuliya Sinhur.
Information & registration
The registration fee for the conference is €100. For information concerning registration and logistics, as well as updates of the program, please contact hanna.dohlen-opsahl@tbs-education.fr.
Yuliya Snihur
Assistant Professor of Strategy
Toulouse Business School
www.tbs-education.fr