University Spin-offs, Entrepreneurial Environment and Start-up Policy: The Cases of Waterloo and Toronto (Ontario) and Columbus (Ohio)

The version of record [Bathelt, H., & Spigel, B. (2011). University spinoffs, entrepreneurial environment and start-up policy: The cases of Waterloo and Toronto (Ontario) and Columbus (Ohio). International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, 2(2), 202-219.] is available online at: http://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/10.1504/IJKBD.2011.041248Universities can be central to a region’s economic growth and development, especially if they support start-up, spin-off and modernisation processes related to the regional core sectors. While many governments and associations have developed programmes to encourage the establishment of university spin-offs, the policies they craft are hampered by two major problems. The first is a narrow understanding of spin-offs that focuses on firms directly based on university research. This approach misses firms that use university-related knowledge and resources, unsponsored through the university. Second, spin-off promotion policies often ignore the role of a larger regional entrepreneurial culture and supporting institutions. This paper argues that a broader view of spin-offs is required; a view that accounts for a larger array of ventures and that looks beyond the firm or university to the broader set of regional structures and relations. The empirical evidence presented draws from start-up and spin-off experiences at universities in the USA and Canada