Building Knowledge- Based Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: Case of Iran

AbstractThe main purpose of this article identifies KBEE and analyzing the linkage and interactions of its elements. They are extracted through exploratory study of literature; the paper utilizes the “interpretive structural modelling (ISM)” technique in order to model creating KBEE. A sufficient sample of entrepreneurial experts in Iran was interviewed for this purpose. According to exploratory study of literature and interviews with experts, seventeen elements of KBEE are identified. Elements are divided into two groups: six actors and eleven factors. The actors of KBEE are academic entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial universities, science and technology parks, knowledge-based industrial parks, financial institutions and government. The factors of KBEE are entrepreneurship opportunity, entrepreneurial capacity, technological learning, entrepreneurial culture, innovation capital, human capital, social capital, knowledge production, and infrastructure and info structure and university- company interactions. The analyses of elements relations in KBEE demonstrates that among the actors, scholars, researchers and scientists play entrepreneur role; entrepreneurial universities have incubator role; and government plays a supportive and key role in the KBEE. The key of building and lunching KBEE in Iran's provinces is in the government hands