SHIFTing the Support of Entrepreneurship in Eco-Innovation

Polish Journal of Environmental Studies

The primary basis of the term sustainable entrepreneurship is the concept of sustainable development. Sustainable development aims at the protection of nature, life support, and community in the pursuit of perceived opportunities to bring into existence future products and processes with both economic and non-economic gains to individuals, the economy, and society. The growing importance of environmental issues and sustainable development have given rise to the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship. Sustainable entrepreneurship can be considered an opportunity for business development practices at the nexus of environmental and social aspects. Companies increasingly consolidate their competitive position through innovative actions in the field of sustainability. The aim of this article is to analyze the role of innovation-related activities in European businesses based on the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship. On this basis, it can be stated that sustainable entrepreneurship provides new opportunities for the development of corporate responsibility, taking into account ecological and social issues.

Journal of Cleaner Production

This report focuses on the economic benefits from eco-innovation. It builds on the last EIO Annual Report, The Eco-Innovation Challenge: Pathways to a Resource-Efficient Europe (EIO 2011a), which made an environmental case for expanding and intensifying eco-innovation activities across the EU.We consider eco-innovation to be a chance for economic and environmental agendas to walk hand in hand. This report argues that eco-innovation in European companies is key to achieving systemic change of entire economies. This implies both reduced absolute consumption of natural resources and improved competitiveness of European businesses. We ask what types of policy measures Member States have implemented to support eco-innovation efforts and foster systemic changes.

Urban Start-up Ecosystem Development in University-Business Co-operation, 2020

This paper enhances knowledge of start-up ecosystems by summarizing experience of a start-up networking event held in Budapest in Spring 2019 to demonstrate that experiential learning of university students can be integrated into class-based education. Research on entrepreneurial ecosystems has paid limited attention to the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. From examination of extant literature, it is assumed there is interdependence between universities and business as prime actors in ecosystems. The aim of this paper is therefore to examine how such interdependence operates in relation to local entrepreneurship ecosystems by posing the following qualitatively oriented research question: Can cooperation projects contribute to the development of students’ entrepreneurial mindsets? This single case analysis focuses on student participation in the 2019 ‘Startup Safari’ event with dual aims of providing strategic guidance for future development of local entrepreneurship ecosystem and enhancing student’s entrepreneurial mind-set through active social capital development. This constituted research through interviews of attendees and descriptive data collection to provide an initial basis for future academia-ecosystem cooperation projects with a wider remit whereby specific aspects of the ecosystem may be examined in greater depth. This is planned for Startup Safari 2020. The 2019 project was run on a pilot basis with the main finding that experiential learning can contribute to the development of students’ entrepreneurial mindsets. The cooperation event mostly reached people aged under 30 including university students, interested in innovation. The high number of participating corporates, aiming to recruit talent and develop human capital, but primarily not to cooperate with start-ups was also notable. The pilot project provides a conceptual basis for ongoing development of pedagogical rationale for entrepreneurship courses in relation to local ecosystems in the CEE region as well as actively enhancing student entrepreneurial mind-sets. This case study of entrepreneurial learning activity outlines how students may participate in cooperation projects and enhance their own entrepreneurial skills. It may be used as a template for comparison of ecosystem development in the CEE region.

Environmental Engineering and Management Journal, 2014

There is an increasing social and political awareness of the importance of sustainable innovations. Strategic partnerships between policy makers, businesses, researchers and citizens are key to developing, implementing and applying eco-innovation, essential for the transition to a competitive green economy. Within this innovation ecosystem, universities can play a central role in creating viable alternative models that are driven by environmental sustainability. Based on evidence from the first survey on Eco-innovation in Europe-'The Eurobarometer 315 Survey on Attitudes of European Entrepreneurs towards Eco-Innovation', the present paper examines the impact of university collaboration on eco-innovating small firms. It also considers how technology push, demand side factors and the regulatory framework, drive eco-innovation in European SMEs. This paper has several implications for managers, as well as for policy makers. For managers, it should be stressed that collaboration with universities is essential to drive all types of eco-innovations. Our findings also suggest that national government should foster cooperation with universities following EU example (eg. European Innovation Partnership in EcoAP), as national policies based on subsidies and fiscal incentives appear to be ineffective.

This dossier describes the potential of eco-entrepreneurship to enhance environmental sustainability, specifically in Asia. It analysis six case-stories from the European Commission funded SWITCH-Asia project.

strengthening resilience by sustainable economy and business - towards the SDGs

The aim of this presentation is to highlight sustainable development challenges and opportunities for innovative entrepreneurs and investors interested in start-ups that have green agendas. One perspective in the sustainable development discourse is focused on reversing the globalization trend and developing the self-sufficiency of local communities. Innovative start-up logic is however focused on scalable business models and digital tools for engaging entrepreneurs and customers in different countries to save and recycle resources. Global campaigns such as World Cleanup Day can inspire innovative entrepreneurs in different regions. Even initiatives from small countries can build bridges between communities at a global scale, including all levels of society – from citizens to business and government institutions. Sustainable development goals assume matching values of organizations and young people eager to contribute to innovation. Sustainability motivation is based on the synergy ...

Greener Management International, 2006

Business Strategy and the Environment, 2011