Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation at UTAS?

The importance of knowledge lies in its use, in our active mastery of it that is to say, it lies in wisdom (Whitehead, 1929, p. 49). Entrepreneurship and commercialization (E&C) education are rarely if ever off the shelf processes whereby best practice is simply identified and rolled out. E&C education is born from the requirements and strategic direction of individual institutions developed in conjunction with the specific human capital available. E&C education at UTAS thus far has developed from within a traditional home in a nontraditional manner. This short discussion paper seeks to provide a brief overview of what has occurred to date and what opportunities currently exist at UTAS to develop a distinctive and institution wide program of sustainable E&C education and research. Entrepreneurship education began at UTAS in 2002 with the establishment of one of Australias first full degree programs in entrepreneurship. Programs in Commercialisation commenced in 2007 at postgraduate level and then in 2010 (as a minor) for undergraduates. The offerings in entrepreneurship have been developed from within the School of Management and the commercialisation program has been developed by the Australian Innovation Research Centre. The entrepreneurship program is internationally acknowledged for excellence in student learning and curriculum design. The program (via national and institutional educator excellence awards) has received numerous awards. The UTAS curriculum is internationally recognized, having been presented (by invitation) to the United Nations in 2011 (at Geneva) as a model of excellence in global entrepreneurship education. It has been the subject of invited keynote presentations at international conferences and has recently gained the interest of the most influential global entrepreneurship event, the World Entrepreneurship Forum to be held in Singapore, 2011. To date, 31 peer reviewed articles have been published on the development of the curriculum, related teaching practice and other related entrepreneurship education issues. In addition, the approach developed at UTAS has recently been illustrated in a research monograph titled Teaching Entrepreneurship to Undergraduates, published by Edward Elgar in the UK. Looking forward with the benefit of hindsight, several issues will undoubtedly shape the future development of E&C education at UTAS, some are local issues and some are universal issues common to all such developments. The most obvious local issue is related to the entrenched faculty-specific behaviors that see the encroachment of E&C education into their domain as a threat rather than as a value-adding opportunity. The lack of Switzerland (or neutral) status is another closely related issue. Where E&C educations programs tend to succeed in their various forms, they do so seemingly adopting a neutral position in the operations of the institution. Said another way, being born from a specific faculty creates barriers to future acceptance. In terms of universal issues; resourcing, community engagement, specialized knowledge masquerading as generalized knowledge (and visa versa) reduces the flexibility and ultimate value of such programs. While there is a place for both forms of knowledge, the time and place of usage needs explicit communication. Lastly, the fact that students (due to their ages and relative inexperience) will gain access to E&C education at a time and place that may well not align with their ability to act

entrepreneurially needs to be acknowledged. The above noted issues arise from the authors understanding of the field. Each issue will be addressed in the following ideas and will be each will be further addressed in the final summary to this paper.

Achieving Institution Wide E&C at UTAS

Best practice in E&C education is difficult to establish. Many institutions use very specific practices; that despite their simplicity, are difficult to transfer, for example the case study method used at Harvard University. The underlying philosophy of how students (globally) should learn to be entrepreneurial is however more or less based on several agreed principles. Students should learn through and for rather than merely about. Students should learn in their here and now, and therefore their curiosity should be heightened in the domain of their interest. Entrepreneurial education is experiential with students required to walk in the shoes of the entrepreneur whilst given sufficient opportunity to reflect upon their own personal and social development. In order to make a difference we are frequently required to act differently. The first idea to be offered for consideration in this paper is to develop a university wide entrepreneurship program that is totally neutral (from a faculty perspective). The author has floated the concept of a fully integrated delivery system for entrepreneurship education with several leaders at UTAS, and initial support has been communicated.

IDEA 1: A FULLY INTEGRATED DELIVERY SYSTEM Eliminating faculty interaction administratively whilst offering opportunities for interdisciplinary learning is the motivation for this innovative idea. Also, consideration is being given to ensuring that any designed system is sustainable within the context of resources and student demand. The author has witnessed colleagues grapple with this challenge in institutions globally. Learning from their experiences, an alternative idea has emerged. An idea that will not threaten individual schools or faculties about the prospect of incorporating E&C in their units. Within Figure 1 the essential elements of the idea are illustrated. FIGURE 1: Integrating E&C at UTAS

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Mentoring

The idea revolves around a trade of assessable time (nominally suggested to be 10% of total unit marks) and four hours per unit (two hours suggested in week 3 and week 10) in exchange for meaningful instruction of E&C. Between weeks 3 and 10, students can choose between several online options to guide their studies. For example, some students may wish to focus on the community impact of their thinking, others may wish to evaluate the commercial potential of their idea, and others may wish to draft a feasibility plan. Regardless of the initial pathway chosen the key issue that the students are able to develop an enterprising mindset within the context of their actual studies. So whilst a Science student interested in specific type of polema may focus upon that, a Law student may focus on IP issues and a student studying Music can focus on the commercialisation of their own IP. Alternatively, this process could be focused within specific faculties (e.g. Science) to enable a deeper level of focus to co-exist with developing familiarity of E&C. It could operate with ten students and scale to unlimited numbers of students with the inclusion of additional resources to support the assessment aspect of the idea. It would be envisaged that in week 10 students would present the outcomes of their learning (in a format yet to be determined). Students would be assessed and this grade would be added to the other 90% of their marks to form their final grade for each unit. This idea could operate separate to the existing course offerings in E&C at UTAS, it could feed in to such offerings, or ultimately influence the future development of such courses. Students could be offered the opportunity to complete the process several times with differing levels of depth possible as they became more embedded in the process. In summary, this first idea offers instant access for E&C to students at UTAS, it does not seek to compete with other course offering, rather, it seeks to add value to such courses. It recognizes the over-arching importance of developing an enterprising mindset in all students at UTAS. As a drop in module, this idea require no structural change and can be trialed easily. Importantly, the use of online modules (and other online support) provides the means for students with differing aspirations and interests and study contexts to progress through a common process of learning. Students can also be exposed to the contemporary thinking/practice from global collaborations.

IDEA 2: AN ENTERPRISE SPACE It has been said that entrepreneurship quite often happens when your on your way to somewhere else; this is certainly my experience. In other words, it is not something to be scheduled or assumed to occur. At present, enterprise education is delivered via the traditional timetabled process via course/unit enrollments. An opportunity exists to create an open door enterprise space in Hobart, Launceston and the Cradle Coast Campuses. This idea has already started to be discussed with key stakeholders, including the PVCs of Learning and Teaching, Regional Development and the Head of the Support and Equity Unit; with positive feedback received thus far. The idea is based on the development of an informal place/space (see Figure 2 below) for students and staff to meet and discuss enterprising matters. It would be a space where students can gain an intimate and community connected appreciation of the process of stepping up to an enterprising future. It would be a physical, yet virtual and video-linked place. We would like to promote enterprise across faculty

boundaries through student inquiry that transcends faculty silos. Thus we would like to encourage a culture of inter-disciplinary interaction through which knowledge, resources and energy can be shared and utilized. We would like such collegiality to also extend to our colleagues that wish to discuss and/or develop an enterprise focus in their area of study/teaching/research. We would wish to position the space as having an open door policy; this would be to enable easy contact between the proponents and the users of the service to meet. So we would utilize a web-based presence and social media to be open 24/7, and seek to scheduled meetings and events around the existing requirements of our existing roles as educators and researchers. Inspired by the 'Enterprise Tuesday' concept at Cambridge University, UK, our aim is to unite resources at a specific time and place, rather than being physically available 24/7. So, initially holding evening sessions monthly (progressing to fortnightly) using the video link between Hobart, Launceston and Burnie to facilitate the development of an enterprising community at UTAS to workshop ideas, and generally discuss the process and context of being enterprising. We also have access to a host of leading experts in the field globally and anticipate using technologies such as Skype, Bambuser etc to bring their expertise to UTAS. Some of these events could be open to the general public. The initial proponents of this specific idea are Dr Colin Jones and Professor Morgan Miles. Collectively, we have much experience starting up and assisting start-up firms. We seek to make this experience and knowledge available to students at UTAS who seek to pursue enterprising ideas. We would like to help students to walk into the unknown. The enterprise space can logically be linked to the day to day operations of the Support and Equity Unit. FIGURE 2: Linked Enterprise Space Student Support
Enterprise clubs Startup Support Personal Development

External Community Interaction

Internal Community Interaction

Enterprise Space
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Sandy Bay Launceston Cradle Coast

Linked 24/7

Mentoring Workshops Investment

Whole of UTAS Approach Interdisciplinarity Inter Institutional Links

Research Integration

IDEA 3: Commercialisation of Commercialisation In the context of educating for commercialisation, too often the process occurs through a closed system. Too often it is hijacked by those with specialized knowledge masquerading as the providers of generalized knowledge (and visa versa). There is a need to develop a system where both forms of knowledge coexist and complement each other. A system that takes into account the temporal inconsistencies related to receiving knowledge and developing skills and their actual utilization. The third idea in this paper seeks to suggest such a desirable system. As illustrated in Figure 3, this idea can perhaps be best thought of as a room within which students enter and are offered multiple exit pathways based on what they have brought to the room in the first place. FIGURE 3: A Room with a View
Researchers & Students

Opportunities to contexualise & learn with internal and external partners

Pathway Education & Decisions Mentoring & Support Licensing & Startups

Specialised knowledge & resources from internal and external sources

As illustrated in Figure 3 above, the commercialisation of research is held to occur through the interaction of ideas generated at UTAS (by researchers and students, and/or external partners) with learning opportunities and access to generalised and specialised knowledge and mentoring and support. It is assumed that whilst some of the resources and opportunities to facilitate this process are present at UTAS, many are not, and must be developed through closer relations with a range of commercialistion partners. In essence, what is being suggested is that the process of commercialisation is not simply a linear one, but rather a highly contextual process where value is created through problem solving and the reallocation of resources on a case by case basis. UNITING THE THREE IDEAS In truth, the three ideas outlined in this paper are one idea that seeks to address three interrelated opportunities. Indeed, it is argued that the interaction between the drop in modules, availability of an enterprise space and the development of a program of commericalisation education/mentoring/support are collectively the vital ingredients in developing an enterprising campus culture at UTAS. This is illustrated in Figure 4 below. It is argued that enabling all UTAS students to be exposed to the development of an enterprising mindset from their first year studies through to their final year is

critical to develop the necessary curiosity and confidence required to underpin an enterprising campus. FIGURE 4: New Social Structures for Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation

Online Tutorials
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Mentoring

Student Support
Enterprise clubs Startup Support Personal Development

External Community Interaction

Internal Community Interaction

Enterprise Space
$$ Generation $$ Reduction e Mindset Mentoring

Sandy Bay Launceston Cradle Coast

Linked Linked 24/7 24/7

Mentoring Workshops Investment

Whole of UTAS Approach Interdisciplinarity Inter Institutional Links

Research Integration

Researchers & Students

Opportunities to contexualise & learn with internal and external partners

Pathway Education & Decisions Mentoring & Support Licensing & Startups

Specialised knowledge & resources from internal and external sources

At this point, no reference has been made to the existing provision of E&C education at UTAS. That is because the three ideas discussed above do not seek to replace existing programs, but rather enable the delivery of E&C in an entirely new manner, without necessarily altering the delivery of the entrepreneurship major or commercialisation minor. Both courses will always struggle to gain penetration within other faculties for a range of reasons previously noted. Thus, the development and role of E&C at UTAS should be achieved by alternative means. Beyond the process of trialing the integration of the enterprise modules, this idea has the capacity to be scaled up to reach all UTAS students, thus creating interest in enterprise at levels previously not achieved; interest that can be accommodated by the presence and role of the Enterprise Space. The role of the Enterprise Space has the potential to be quite dynamic, from facilitating community engagement, uniting research efforts related to enterprise, to assisting the development of administrative enterprise and mentoring colleagues in their pursuit of enterprising solutions. There are already efforts underway to create and channel enterprising energy around the operations of the Student Accommodation community. The development of a range of free workshops for students, colleagues and community related to being enterprising offers further opportunities to develop an enterprising culture at UTAS. The provision of commercialisation education is less problematic, many of the required pieces already exist, the challenge remains to better connect them and add new value through greater community engagement. The ideas addressed above overcome a range of issues that typically stand in the way of the development of E&C in Higher Education. The drop in modules are designed to avoid issues related to cross-faculty issues whilst still encouraging interdisciplinary learning opportunities. The non-displacement of established course content also aids the potential for students to access enterprising knowledge and skills whilst completing the full requirements of their course of choice. The issue of specialized knowledge masquerading as generalized knowledge (and visa versa) is overcome by focusing on facilitating rather than owning the process of commercialisation education. There is scope to develop high levels of community engagement to reduce internal resource funding challenges. Indeed, if developed correctly, there is scope to share resources with other institutions globally and to generate local corporate sponsorship. Finally, the three ideas taken together focus of the development of the individual first, their ideas second and the lastly, the creation of new forms of value. Placing the emphasis on the students first in this respect allows UTAS to develop a reputation for the creation of enterprising graduates, rather than merely enterprising ideas and/or startups. CONCLUSION The ideas discussed in this paper relate to the development of a range of social structures, structures that must by necessity precede the development of any future physical structures to support an enterprising culture at UTAS. Social relationships that relate directly to UTASs Statement of Values; Creating and serving shared purpose; Nurturing a vital and sustainable community; Focusing on opportunity; Working from the strength diversity brings; and Collaborating in ways that help us be the best we can be.