Road to Sustainability: University–Start-Up Collaboration

Korapin Jirapong, Karina Cagarman and Laura von Arnim
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Korapin Jirapong: Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Technical University of Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Karina Cagarman: Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Technical University of Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Laura von Arnim: Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Technical University of Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: Considerations on sustainability have growing attention not only for scholars and businesses, but also for almost everyone. However, accomplishing sustainable progress is complicated and cannot be completely reached by single individuals or organizations. Consequently, entrepreneurs striving for sustainable change might search for collaborations with universities to overcome their resource and technology constraints. A quantitative research method was employed to explore the value of such collaborations. Data were gathered via questionnaires, between February and March 2020, from entrepreneurs/start-ups that are spin-offs of the ten leading higher education institutions in Berlin and Brandenburg (Germany). Correlation and logistic regression disclosed that start-ups with different sustainability goals employed dissimilar formats of collaboration with universities. Ecological-oriented entrepreneurs tend to utilize all three forms of university–start-up collaboration. On the contrary, social-driven start-ups are not likely to adopt any kind of collaboration with universities. While ventures with economical SDGs are prone to employ product and prototype development along with support from professors. The study extends the knowledge about the search for collaborations of start-ups when pursuing different SDGs. In the practical domain, this research can encourage entrepreneurs to cooperate with universities in order to achieve their sustainable goals beyond incubation and acceleration. Additionally, it can also trigger universities to supply resources for supporting start-ups, especially social-driven ventures, to facilitate them to accomplish sustainability as well as to reach the third mission of universities in terms of supporting society.

Keywords: university–start-up collaboration; open innovation; cooperation; sustainability; sustainable development goals; SDGs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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