Linking Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Real-World Challenges in High-Cost Economies
Guest editors
Lise Aaboen, Professor of Technology-based Entrepreneurship, Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. - lise.aaboen@ntnu.no
Tommy Høyvarde Clausen, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Handelshøgskolen, Nord University, and University of Oslo, Norway. - tommy.h.clausen@nord.no
Åsa Lindholm Dahlstrand, Professor of Innovation Studies, Circle, Lund University, Sweden. - asa.lindholm_dahlstrand@circle.lu.se
Christian Richter Østergaard, Professor of Innovation and Regional Industrial Dynamics, Aalborg University Business School, Denmark. - cro@business.aau.dk
Special issue information:
Scope of the special issue
In this special issue, we address the lessons that still need to be learned in high-cost economies, like the advanced northern economies, to tackle practical problems and bridge the gap between the research fields of innovation and entrepreneurship. Specifically, we call for high-quality research that focuses on real-world challenges in the areas of innovative entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial experimentation, and innovative student entrepreneurs.
High-cost economies, like those found in advanced northern economies, appear to be effective at promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, leading to economic growth and societal change due to the presence of advanced innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. However, these economies also face numerous challenges, such as deindustrialization, manufacturing outsourcing, globalization, demographic transition, urbanization, skill-biased technological change, and climate change. Despite having support systems and policies for innovation and entrepreneurship in place, continuous upgrading is needed to address the pressure for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are interconnected processes of change influenced by systemic and institutional contexts. The integration of these two fields, however, is not yet fully explored, as evidenced by the lack of entrepreneurship-related keywords and research themes in Technovation, a leading journal on innovation. Our special issue aims to re-establish the link between innovation and entrepreneurship and address the real-world challenges that this connection enables us to tackle.
Specific areas addressed
Innovative entrepreneurship: Innovation and entrepreneurship are distinct but interrelated phenomena that drive economic growth and social welfare. We seek to understand the nature of innovative entrepreneurship, its driving forces, unique challenges, and the outcomes it creates.
Innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurial ecosystems: Firms' innovation processes are affected by their participation in innovation ecosystems, while opportunities for entrepreneurship are shaped by entrepreneurial ecosystems. We invite papers that address the challenges of interaction between different types of ecosystems and their relation to innovation and entrepreneurship in high-cost economies.
Entrepreneurial experimentation: Entrepreneurial experimentation is vital for driving the dynamics of innovation ecosystems. We encourage papers addressing macro and micro-level challenges related to entrepreneurial and policy experimentation in high-cost economies,
Innovative student entrepreneurs: Research linking entrepreneurship and innovation can shed light on untapped potential among students and PhD students. We welcome studies that explore how student entrepreneurs contribute to entrepreneurial communities and how their activities influence the larger ecosystem.
For this special issue, we envision articles possibly related to (but not necessarily limited to) any of the following questions
- What is the nature of innovative entrepreneurship, particularly as it pans out in high-cost economies?
- What are the unique barriers that innovative entrepreneurs face, and how do they overcome them?
- How do entrepreneurs develop innovation capabilities at the firm level, and how do such capabilities influence firm performance?
- What is the current status of research on innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems, and what opportunities exist for studying their interplay and potential failures?
- What impacts do interactions between different types of ecosystems have on innovation and entrepreneurship in high-cost economies?
- What is the role of universities in shaping entrepreneurial ecosystems and collaborating on innovation in high-cost economies?
- How does entrepreneurial experimentation contribute to long-term renewal (creation, selection and scaling-up processes) in high-cost economies?
- How can policy/institutions make entrepreneurial experimentation more effective?
- How should we design activities that provide authentic learning for students and innovativeness for industry?
- How can student entrepreneurs, alumni students and PhD students engage in new ways to develop innovation in ecosystems?
- How can synergies between academic and practical knowledge be utilized and developed by student entrepreneurs and PhD students during industrial and technical transitions?
Manuscript submission information
Authors are invited to submit a 1000-word extended abstract, outlining the purpose, main literature, proposed methodology, existing data, and envisaged outcomes. Authors of selected contributions fitting the special issue will be invited to an online paper development workshop in January 2024. Although participation in the workshop is not mandatory for full paper submission, it is recommended. Authors submitting full papers fitting the special issue will be invited to a paper development track at the NORSI conference in Bergen, Norway, on 23-24 May 2024.
Submissions should focus on real-world challenges in high-cost economies within the four areas described above, examining how research linking innovation and entrepreneurship can address them. Quantitative, qualitative, experimental, longitudinal, mixed method, conceptual, and review papers are all equally welcome.
Timeline for submitting papers:
The submission of extended abstracts has begun. Please send abstracts directly by email to the Special Issue editors.
Submission deadline for extended abstracts:
15 March 2024
Paper development track at the NORSI conference:
23–24 May 2024.
Opening date for the submission portal
15 June 2024
Submission deadline for full papers to Technovation:
1 October 2024.
When submitting your full papers, please make sure you select the Article Type "VSI: Linking Innovation and Entrepreneurship".