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Thomas O'Neal

University of Central Florida, Office of Research and Commercialization, Faculty Member

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Address: Orlando, Florida, United States

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Lebediyos Asnake

Grisselle Centeno

Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)

Oleg V . Pavlov

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

University of Tulsa

Henriette Schoen

University of Central Florida

Lehigh University

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Papers by Thomas O'Neal

Integration of technology incubator programs with academic entrepreneurship curriculum

PICMET '03: Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology Technology Management for Reshaping the World, 2003.

Engineers are excellent sources of high growthpotential entrepreneurial ventures, with their crea... more Engineers are excellent sources of high growthpotential entrepreneurial ventures, with their creative product and technology ideas. However, this resource has not been effectively tapped by academia in general. This paper reviews Entrepreneurship, the debates over teaching Entrepreneurship and critical success factors for new venture creation. Also described is an innovative, holistic inter-disciplinary Engineering Entrepreneurship program backed by the resources and activities of a technology incubator. This provides engineering students and researchers with tools and opportunities for entrepreneurial success, establish deeper and more meaningful community ties, and facilitate the incubation of investable technology-based start-ups. Packaging the "incubator concept" into a series of graduate, undergraduate and continuing education short courses is a unique feature of UCF's entrepreneurship program, which offers practical insights, tools, objectives, case studies, strategies and actions that one can apply to any stage of an entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial venture from initial idea to growth and profitability. Guest lectures and interaction / networking opportunities with successful or struggling technical entrepreneurs, corporate intrapreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, technology incubator directors, attorneys, financial advisors, consultants, and other business service providers are added benefits of this program. This program has received very favorable reviews from local, state and national organizations.

Do graduated university incubator firms benefit from their relationship with university incubators?

The Journal of Technology Transfer, 2015

Business incubators have become a popular policy option and economic development intervention too... more Business incubators have become a popular policy option and economic development intervention tool. However, recent research shows that incubated firms may not benefit significantly from their incubator relationships, and may even be more vulnerable to failure post departure (graduation) from an incubator. These findings suggest that the impact of business incubation on new venture viability may be contingent on the type of support offered by an incubator and attributes of business environments within which incubation services are provided. Incubation services that protect and isolate ventures from key resource dependencies may hinder venture development and increase subsequent vulnerability to environmental demands. Alternatively, incubation services that help ventures connect and align with key resource dependencies are likely to promote firm survival. We propose that incubators vary in the services and resources they offer, and that university incubators typically provide greater connectivity and legitimacy with respect to important contingencies associated with key industry and community stakeholders. This leads us to propose that university affiliation is an important contingency that affects the relationship between firms' participation in incubators and their subsequent performance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this contingency by examining whether firms graduating from university incubators attain higher levels of post-incubation performance than firms participating in non-university affiliated incubators. We test this by evaluating the performance of a sample of graduated firms associated with the population of university-based incubators in the US contrasted against the performance of a matched cohort of non-incubated firms. The analysis uses an enhanced dataset that tracks the number of employees, sales, and the entry and graduation (departure) points of incubated firms from a university incubation program, so as to delineate the scope of influence of the incubator.

Assessing The Impact Of University Technology Incubator Practices On Client Performance

This research is designed to distinguish and describe or explain incubator practices that affect ... more This research is designed to distinguish and describe or explain incubator practices that affect the performance of incubator clients of university technology incubator programs. The research focuses on understanding which practices significantly contribute to increasing job creation for the firms located in university based technology incubators. An increasing number of communities are embracing economic development strategies that target the high tech sector with high wage, high value jobs as a way to diversify their economies and boost local and regional economies. New economic development strategies include the notion of a creation strategy or “growing your own” instead of relying on recruiting of existing companies from other regions. In 1999-2000 (according to the most recent data), small businesses created three-quarters of U.S. net new jobs (2.5 million of the 3.4 million total). The small business percentage varies from year to year and reflects economic trends. Over the de...

A method for measuring productivity gains attributable to electronic mail

An Evidence Based Process Facilitating Engineering Education and Innovation in the Field of Turbomachinery

Volume 6: Ceramics; Controls, Diagnostics, and Instrumentation; Education; Manufacturing Materials and Metallurgy, 2019

A confluence of disruptive trends in the energy industry is creating an imperative for providers ... more A confluence of disruptive trends in the energy industry is creating an imperative for providers as well as all companies throughout the value-chain to innovate. Due to the physical and intellectual proximity of universities to cutting edge technology development universities are at the epicenter for the next generation of energy innovation and innovators. However, through traditional disciplinary coursework and research activities, today’s engineering faculty and students do not gain the skills to be effective innovators and advance their inventions from the lab to the market. As a result, new methods of education and training is required to meet the energy innovation imperative. The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which aims to develop critical innovator skills while aiding in the process of developing innovations that have potential to solve a market-based problems. The program is an intense workshop with the goal to develop a scalable business mod...

An Agent Based Approach to Study Incubation in Innovation Ecosystems

The innovation ecosystems are clusters of economic entities creating high productivity and busine... more The innovation ecosystems are clusters of economic entities creating high productivity and business diversity based on innovations. The business incubators are among the most well-known approaches to support economic growth in these ecosystems. Although the number of business incubators has increased substantially in the last decade, the absence of efficient assessment techniques for business incubation calls for novel approaches. In this paper, we present an approach for the analysis of innovation ecosystems by using an agent based modeling methodology with a focus on incubation. We model the role of business incubators considering different support methods and show their effects on global economy with our preliminary results.

Un nouveau paradigme dans l’accélération des processus d’innovation Hybridation des approches Tech-Push et Market-Pull, et Agile Démo-Tech Thinking

L'innovation collaborative a ete le sujet de nombreux travaux scientifiques surtout sur l&#39... more L'innovation collaborative a ete le sujet de nombreux travaux scientifiques surtout sur l'innovation ouverte, [CHE 08] comme processus hautement collaboratif (Paun, F ; Von Tunzelman, and al.., 2012 ; [ONE 12], [LAP 12]. Ce processus tout d'abord organisationnel integre une grande diversite d'acteurs publics et prives parfois sous forme de communautes de pensee et d'action qui creent, partagent et diffusent differentes connaissances visant a creer collectivement et individuellement de la valeur partagee par l'innovation (incrementale, radicale ou de rupture) dans une d'autant plus grande diversite des secteurs et des marches. A la lumiere des observations et analyses des experimentations concretes, de partage de bonnes pratiques et des outils d'acceleration de l'nnovation en France et aux Etats Unis, cet article propose une analyse des impacts de ces nouvelles strategies et outils d'innovation sur le raccourcissement des cycles d'innovatio...

Developing Financial Literacy In Budding Entrepreneurs

2004 Annual Conference Proceedings

Most engineering curricula devote little time to the development of financial literacy among engi... more Most engineering curricula devote little time to the development of financial literacy among engineering students. Many civil and industrial engineers obtain some exposure in an undergraduate engineering economics course; but these courses generally focus primarily on the time value of money and the comparison of alternatives based upon discounted cash flow. Even the ubiquitous topic of taxes on income is deferred until late in the course. Resolving this dilemma, short of enrolling in Accounting 101, appears to be difficult at best. Fortunately, there are materials which can convey the concepts required to understanding accounting principles, processes and underlying concepts at a level that will enable engineers to work productively with the bankers, investors and accountants who will play a huge role in any new venture. These materials can accomplish that in a finite numbers of class sessions through the use of case materials. Cases based upon an entrepreneurial scenario both motivate and energize class discussions. This paper will review the materials available to develop financial literacy and explain their use in a three-session module which could be included in an entrepreneurship course or a senior design course The presentation will focus on the use of a specific case to convey the essentials of accrual accounting to a novice audience.

Turning Engineers Into Entrepreneurs And Transforming A Region

2004 Annual Conference Proceedings

Engineers are excellent sources of high-growth potential entrepreneurial ventures with their crea... more Engineers are excellent sources of high-growth potential entrepreneurial ventures with their creative product and technology ideas, in various disciplines. However, academia in general has not effectively developed this resource. This paper reviews contemporary literature on teaching of entrepreneurship and describes an innovative, holistic Engineering Entrepreneurship program backed by the resources and activities of a technology incubator. This program is designed to provide engineering students and researchers with tools and opportunities for entrepreneurial success, establish deeper and more meaningful community ties, and facilitate the incubation of technology-based start-ups. Packaging the "incubator concept" into a series of graduate, undergraduate and continuing education short courses is a unique aspect of UCF's entrepreneurship program. This program has received very favorable reviews from local, state and national organizations. The entrepreneurship initiatives at UCF have had a positive impact on other universities and in making the Central Florida area a hub of high tech entrepreneurial activity.

Invention To Venture: Inspiring Technology Innovation And Entrepreneurship

2004 Annual Conference Proceedings

United States colleges and universities have a tremendous untapped entrepreneurial resource in th... more United States colleges and universities have a tremendous untapped entrepreneurial resource in their students and faculty. Despite the emergence of substantial and effective programs in entrepreneurship instruction, 1,2,3,4 many students who are interested in entrepreneurship, particularly in engineering and the sciences, are not reached through these courses. To address these students' needs, and provide opportunities for building community and connections between the academic and entrepreneurial worlds, a new workshop series has been developed. Invention to Venture (I2V) is a one-day workshop in technology-driven entrepreneurship for students, faculty, regional entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. The series is being developed at universities around the country. Invention to Venture is based on several successful models for start-up bootcamps, including the Flight School produced by Joseph Steig for Mass Ventures, a regional technology economic development organization, and the highly successful Technology Startup Boot Camp, conducted for several years at the University of Maryland. The series was further developed by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) in collaboration with regional partners and consulting firm Grayhead Associates. Invention to Venture provides an opportunity for participants around the country to learn technology entrepreneurship basics, build their networks, and develop plans for moving their ideas forward. The NCIIA and its member institutions intend to make Invention to Venture an effective extracurricular outreach vehicle based at select college campuses across the country. This paper describes the structure, process, and outcomes of the 2003-04 series, which by June 2004 will have reached over 1,500 students, faculty, and other participants at locations from coast to coast.

Megawatt Cleantech Challenge (MCC) (Final Technical Report)

Enabling academic entrepreneurship: the I-Corps experience

Education + Training, 2020

PurposeThis paper addresses the significance of training students in entrepreneurship to enable s... more PurposeThis paper addresses the significance of training students in entrepreneurship to enable sustained national and international competitiveness in the knowledge-based global marketplace. Entrepreneurial education is varied, ranging from basic to in-depth courses, including customer-focused programs, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. This program is nationally-renowned with strong academic roots. A full site was launched at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in January 2015 and was the first I-Corps program in the state of Florida.Design/methodology/approachThis paper addresses the importance of entrepreneurship education, reviews the available national training programs in entrepreneurship, presents the design methodology of the NSF I-Corps program, and analyzes the results of the teams who have participated in the NSF I-Corps program.FindingsThe results are categorized into innovative areas and show the percentage ...

Role of entrepreneurial support for networking in innovation ecosystems: An agent based approach

2015 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), 2015

Entrepreneurial support organizations are among the most successful approaches for economic growt... more Entrepreneurial support organizations are among the most successful approaches for economic growth. There are multiple dimensions of entrepreneurial support activities such as resource provision, funding or networking support. In this paper, we present an approach for the assessment and analysis of entrepreneurial support for networking and its effects on global innovation ecosystems. The innovation ecosystem in our approach is modeled as a complex adaptive network by using an agent-based modeling methodology with a focus on entrepreneurial support organizations. A portion of the economic entities in this ecosystem is provided with entrepreneurial support of different types to assess their effects. The results highlight the positive impact of networking support on the innovation ecosystem.

Evolving a Successful University-Based Incubator: Lessons Learned From the UCF Technology Incubator

Engineering Management Journal, 2005

Abstract: This article contributes two models for evolving a successful university-based technolo... more Abstract: This article contributes two models for evolving a successful university-based technology incubator. The first model describes the necessary steps and actions required to evolve the incubator. The second model describes the elements of a successful incubator. A case study using the technology incubator at the University of Central Florida (UCF) is used to understand and describe these models. The UCF technology incubator was the winner of the 2004 Incubator of the Year from the National Business Incubator Association. An engineering manager, economic development organization, entrepreneurship support organization, or technology incubator manager can use this article to develop specific approaches to building and running an incubator.

Transformation Networks: A study of how technological complexity impacts economic performance

Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems, 2012

Under a resource-based view of the firm, economic agents transform resources from one form into a... more Under a resource-based view of the firm, economic agents transform resources from one form into another. These transformations can be viewed as the application of technology. The relationships between the technologies present in an economy can be modeled by a transformation network. The size and structure of these networks can describe the "economic complexity" of a society. In this paper, we use an agent-based computational economics model to investigate how the density of a transformation network affects the economic performance of its underlying artificial economy, as measured by the GDP. Our results show that the mean and median GDP of this economy increases as the density of its transformation network increases; furthermore, the cause of this increase is related to the number and type of cycles and sinks in the network. Our results suggest that economies with a high degree of economic complexity perform better than simpler economies with lower economic complexity.

The Effect of Regional Characteristics on the Relationship Between University Resources and Knowledge-Based Startup’s Performance

Technology Transfer in a Global Economy, 2012

There is considerable evidence that regional resource endowments promote the viability of firms w... more There is considerable evidence that regional resource endowments promote the viability of firms within those regions. University resources endowments are often portrayed as especially important to the development and success of firms, especially knowledge-based firms that benefit from faculty expertise, specialized facilities, and intellectual property. Recent research, however, suggests that the contribution of university resources endowments to firm performance and viability is contingent on the presence of complementary regional resource endowments. Thus, firms that draw resources from universities are more likely to realize performance benefits when a regional economy is rich in complementary resources. We propose that for knowledge-based startup firms, in addition to the direct positive effects of regional and university resources endowments on firm performance found in prior research, regional resource endowments availability will moderate the impact of university resources endowments on firm performance. We examine these relationships within the population of university-based incubators in the US and a sample of knowledge-based firms associated with those incubators.

The Role of University of Central Florida in Regional Economic Development

Technology Transfer in a Global Economy, 2012

ABSTRACT

Promoting Regional Entrepreneurship through University, Government, and Industry Alliances: Initiatives from Florida's High Tech Corridor

Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 2010

ABSTRACT Universities, industry and governments have shared interests that provide incentives for... more ABSTRACT Universities, industry and governments have shared interests that provide incentives for actively managed, mutually beneficial, economic development alliances. Benefits from these alliances include enriched entrepreneurship capital and support for knowledge-based startups and high-impact firms. Regions realizing these outcomes can expect enhanced economic outcomes like job creation, better wages, and higher innovation rates. Aside from prior research demonstrating how tech transfer processes promote innovation and high-tech business formation, little is known about other types of university alliance initiatives and how they contribute to economic development. We seek to describe several university alliances linking partners in academia, industry and government aimed at promoting entrepreneurship capital and high-impact firms. First, we describe research that provides justification for university alliances as a means of promoting regional economic development. We then describe five university alliance initiatives, and provide examples of how each has enriched the region encompassed within the Florida High Tech Corridor.

The co-evolution of the University of Central Florida's technology incubator and the entrepreneurial infrastructure in Central Florida

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2011

This paper provides a real world example of regional economic development theories in practice. I... more

The Role of Technology Incubators in Engineering Education

icee.usm.edu

The paper sketches the growth of business incubators as a business development tool for community... more

Integration of technology incubator programs with academic entrepreneurship curriculum

PICMET '03: Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology Technology Management for Reshaping the World, 2003.

Engineers are excellent sources of high growthpotential entrepreneurial ventures, with their crea... more Engineers are excellent sources of high growthpotential entrepreneurial ventures, with their creative product and technology ideas. However, this resource has not been effectively tapped by academia in general. This paper reviews Entrepreneurship, the debates over teaching Entrepreneurship and critical success factors for new venture creation. Also described is an innovative, holistic inter-disciplinary Engineering Entrepreneurship program backed by the resources and activities of a technology incubator. This provides engineering students and researchers with tools and opportunities for entrepreneurial success, establish deeper and more meaningful community ties, and facilitate the incubation of investable technology-based start-ups. Packaging the "incubator concept" into a series of graduate, undergraduate and continuing education short courses is a unique feature of UCF's entrepreneurship program, which offers practical insights, tools, objectives, case studies, strategies and actions that one can apply to any stage of an entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial venture from initial idea to growth and profitability. Guest lectures and interaction / networking opportunities with successful or struggling technical entrepreneurs, corporate intrapreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, technology incubator directors, attorneys, financial advisors, consultants, and other business service providers are added benefits of this program. This program has received very favorable reviews from local, state and national organizations.

Do graduated university incubator firms benefit from their relationship with university incubators?

The Journal of Technology Transfer, 2015

Business incubators have become a popular policy option and economic development intervention too... more Business incubators have become a popular policy option and economic development intervention tool. However, recent research shows that incubated firms may not benefit significantly from their incubator relationships, and may even be more vulnerable to failure post departure (graduation) from an incubator. These findings suggest that the impact of business incubation on new venture viability may be contingent on the type of support offered by an incubator and attributes of business environments within which incubation services are provided. Incubation services that protect and isolate ventures from key resource dependencies may hinder venture development and increase subsequent vulnerability to environmental demands. Alternatively, incubation services that help ventures connect and align with key resource dependencies are likely to promote firm survival. We propose that incubators vary in the services and resources they offer, and that university incubators typically provide greater connectivity and legitimacy with respect to important contingencies associated with key industry and community stakeholders. This leads us to propose that university affiliation is an important contingency that affects the relationship between firms' participation in incubators and their subsequent performance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this contingency by examining whether firms graduating from university incubators attain higher levels of post-incubation performance than firms participating in non-university affiliated incubators. We test this by evaluating the performance of a sample of graduated firms associated with the population of university-based incubators in the US contrasted against the performance of a matched cohort of non-incubated firms. The analysis uses an enhanced dataset that tracks the number of employees, sales, and the entry and graduation (departure) points of incubated firms from a university incubation program, so as to delineate the scope of influence of the incubator.

Assessing The Impact Of University Technology Incubator Practices On Client Performance

This research is designed to distinguish and describe or explain incubator practices that affect ... more This research is designed to distinguish and describe or explain incubator practices that affect the performance of incubator clients of university technology incubator programs. The research focuses on understanding which practices significantly contribute to increasing job creation for the firms located in university based technology incubators. An increasing number of communities are embracing economic development strategies that target the high tech sector with high wage, high value jobs as a way to diversify their economies and boost local and regional economies. New economic development strategies include the notion of a creation strategy or “growing your own” instead of relying on recruiting of existing companies from other regions. In 1999-2000 (according to the most recent data), small businesses created three-quarters of U.S. net new jobs (2.5 million of the 3.4 million total). The small business percentage varies from year to year and reflects economic trends. Over the de...

A method for measuring productivity gains attributable to electronic mail

An Evidence Based Process Facilitating Engineering Education and Innovation in the Field of Turbomachinery

Volume 6: Ceramics; Controls, Diagnostics, and Instrumentation; Education; Manufacturing Materials and Metallurgy, 2019

A confluence of disruptive trends in the energy industry is creating an imperative for providers ... more A confluence of disruptive trends in the energy industry is creating an imperative for providers as well as all companies throughout the value-chain to innovate. Due to the physical and intellectual proximity of universities to cutting edge technology development universities are at the epicenter for the next generation of energy innovation and innovators. However, through traditional disciplinary coursework and research activities, today’s engineering faculty and students do not gain the skills to be effective innovators and advance their inventions from the lab to the market. As a result, new methods of education and training is required to meet the energy innovation imperative. The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which aims to develop critical innovator skills while aiding in the process of developing innovations that have potential to solve a market-based problems. The program is an intense workshop with the goal to develop a scalable business mod...

An Agent Based Approach to Study Incubation in Innovation Ecosystems

The innovation ecosystems are clusters of economic entities creating high productivity and busine... more The innovation ecosystems are clusters of economic entities creating high productivity and business diversity based on innovations. The business incubators are among the most well-known approaches to support economic growth in these ecosystems. Although the number of business incubators has increased substantially in the last decade, the absence of efficient assessment techniques for business incubation calls for novel approaches. In this paper, we present an approach for the analysis of innovation ecosystems by using an agent based modeling methodology with a focus on incubation. We model the role of business incubators considering different support methods and show their effects on global economy with our preliminary results.

Un nouveau paradigme dans l’accélération des processus d’innovation Hybridation des approches Tech-Push et Market-Pull, et Agile Démo-Tech Thinking

L'innovation collaborative a ete le sujet de nombreux travaux scientifiques surtout sur l&#39... more L'innovation collaborative a ete le sujet de nombreux travaux scientifiques surtout sur l'innovation ouverte, [CHE 08] comme processus hautement collaboratif (Paun, F ; Von Tunzelman, and al.., 2012 ; [ONE 12], [LAP 12]. Ce processus tout d'abord organisationnel integre une grande diversite d'acteurs publics et prives parfois sous forme de communautes de pensee et d'action qui creent, partagent et diffusent differentes connaissances visant a creer collectivement et individuellement de la valeur partagee par l'innovation (incrementale, radicale ou de rupture) dans une d'autant plus grande diversite des secteurs et des marches. A la lumiere des observations et analyses des experimentations concretes, de partage de bonnes pratiques et des outils d'acceleration de l'nnovation en France et aux Etats Unis, cet article propose une analyse des impacts de ces nouvelles strategies et outils d'innovation sur le raccourcissement des cycles d'innovatio...

Developing Financial Literacy In Budding Entrepreneurs

2004 Annual Conference Proceedings

Most engineering curricula devote little time to the development of financial literacy among engi... more Most engineering curricula devote little time to the development of financial literacy among engineering students. Many civil and industrial engineers obtain some exposure in an undergraduate engineering economics course; but these courses generally focus primarily on the time value of money and the comparison of alternatives based upon discounted cash flow. Even the ubiquitous topic of taxes on income is deferred until late in the course. Resolving this dilemma, short of enrolling in Accounting 101, appears to be difficult at best. Fortunately, there are materials which can convey the concepts required to understanding accounting principles, processes and underlying concepts at a level that will enable engineers to work productively with the bankers, investors and accountants who will play a huge role in any new venture. These materials can accomplish that in a finite numbers of class sessions through the use of case materials. Cases based upon an entrepreneurial scenario both motivate and energize class discussions. This paper will review the materials available to develop financial literacy and explain their use in a three-session module which could be included in an entrepreneurship course or a senior design course The presentation will focus on the use of a specific case to convey the essentials of accrual accounting to a novice audience.

Turning Engineers Into Entrepreneurs And Transforming A Region

2004 Annual Conference Proceedings

Engineers are excellent sources of high-growth potential entrepreneurial ventures with their crea... more Engineers are excellent sources of high-growth potential entrepreneurial ventures with their creative product and technology ideas, in various disciplines. However, academia in general has not effectively developed this resource. This paper reviews contemporary literature on teaching of entrepreneurship and describes an innovative, holistic Engineering Entrepreneurship program backed by the resources and activities of a technology incubator. This program is designed to provide engineering students and researchers with tools and opportunities for entrepreneurial success, establish deeper and more meaningful community ties, and facilitate the incubation of technology-based start-ups. Packaging the "incubator concept" into a series of graduate, undergraduate and continuing education short courses is a unique aspect of UCF's entrepreneurship program. This program has received very favorable reviews from local, state and national organizations. The entrepreneurship initiatives at UCF have had a positive impact on other universities and in making the Central Florida area a hub of high tech entrepreneurial activity.

Invention To Venture: Inspiring Technology Innovation And Entrepreneurship

2004 Annual Conference Proceedings

United States colleges and universities have a tremendous untapped entrepreneurial resource in th... more United States colleges and universities have a tremendous untapped entrepreneurial resource in their students and faculty. Despite the emergence of substantial and effective programs in entrepreneurship instruction, 1,2,3,4 many students who are interested in entrepreneurship, particularly in engineering and the sciences, are not reached through these courses. To address these students' needs, and provide opportunities for building community and connections between the academic and entrepreneurial worlds, a new workshop series has been developed. Invention to Venture (I2V) is a one-day workshop in technology-driven entrepreneurship for students, faculty, regional entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. The series is being developed at universities around the country. Invention to Venture is based on several successful models for start-up bootcamps, including the Flight School produced by Joseph Steig for Mass Ventures, a regional technology economic development organization, and the highly successful Technology Startup Boot Camp, conducted for several years at the University of Maryland. The series was further developed by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) in collaboration with regional partners and consulting firm Grayhead Associates. Invention to Venture provides an opportunity for participants around the country to learn technology entrepreneurship basics, build their networks, and develop plans for moving their ideas forward. The NCIIA and its member institutions intend to make Invention to Venture an effective extracurricular outreach vehicle based at select college campuses across the country. This paper describes the structure, process, and outcomes of the 2003-04 series, which by June 2004 will have reached over 1,500 students, faculty, and other participants at locations from coast to coast.

Megawatt Cleantech Challenge (MCC) (Final Technical Report)

Enabling academic entrepreneurship: the I-Corps experience

Education + Training, 2020

PurposeThis paper addresses the significance of training students in entrepreneurship to enable s... more PurposeThis paper addresses the significance of training students in entrepreneurship to enable sustained national and international competitiveness in the knowledge-based global marketplace. Entrepreneurial education is varied, ranging from basic to in-depth courses, including customer-focused programs, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. This program is nationally-renowned with strong academic roots. A full site was launched at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in January 2015 and was the first I-Corps program in the state of Florida.Design/methodology/approachThis paper addresses the importance of entrepreneurship education, reviews the available national training programs in entrepreneurship, presents the design methodology of the NSF I-Corps program, and analyzes the results of the teams who have participated in the NSF I-Corps program.FindingsThe results are categorized into innovative areas and show the percentage ...

Role of entrepreneurial support for networking in innovation ecosystems: An agent based approach

2015 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), 2015

Entrepreneurial support organizations are among the most successful approaches for economic growt... more Entrepreneurial support organizations are among the most successful approaches for economic growth. There are multiple dimensions of entrepreneurial support activities such as resource provision, funding or networking support. In this paper, we present an approach for the assessment and analysis of entrepreneurial support for networking and its effects on global innovation ecosystems. The innovation ecosystem in our approach is modeled as a complex adaptive network by using an agent-based modeling methodology with a focus on entrepreneurial support organizations. A portion of the economic entities in this ecosystem is provided with entrepreneurial support of different types to assess their effects. The results highlight the positive impact of networking support on the innovation ecosystem.

Evolving a Successful University-Based Incubator: Lessons Learned From the UCF Technology Incubator

Engineering Management Journal, 2005

Abstract: This article contributes two models for evolving a successful university-based technolo... more Abstract: This article contributes two models for evolving a successful university-based technology incubator. The first model describes the necessary steps and actions required to evolve the incubator. The second model describes the elements of a successful incubator. A case study using the technology incubator at the University of Central Florida (UCF) is used to understand and describe these models. The UCF technology incubator was the winner of the 2004 Incubator of the Year from the National Business Incubator Association. An engineering manager, economic development organization, entrepreneurship support organization, or technology incubator manager can use this article to develop specific approaches to building and running an incubator.

Transformation Networks: A study of how technological complexity impacts economic performance

Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems, 2012

Under a resource-based view of the firm, economic agents transform resources from one form into a... more Under a resource-based view of the firm, economic agents transform resources from one form into another. These transformations can be viewed as the application of technology. The relationships between the technologies present in an economy can be modeled by a transformation network. The size and structure of these networks can describe the "economic complexity" of a society. In this paper, we use an agent-based computational economics model to investigate how the density of a transformation network affects the economic performance of its underlying artificial economy, as measured by the GDP. Our results show that the mean and median GDP of this economy increases as the density of its transformation network increases; furthermore, the cause of this increase is related to the number and type of cycles and sinks in the network. Our results suggest that economies with a high degree of economic complexity perform better than simpler economies with lower economic complexity.

The Effect of Regional Characteristics on the Relationship Between University Resources and Knowledge-Based Startup’s Performance

Technology Transfer in a Global Economy, 2012

There is considerable evidence that regional resource endowments promote the viability of firms w... more There is considerable evidence that regional resource endowments promote the viability of firms within those regions. University resources endowments are often portrayed as especially important to the development and success of firms, especially knowledge-based firms that benefit from faculty expertise, specialized facilities, and intellectual property. Recent research, however, suggests that the contribution of university resources endowments to firm performance and viability is contingent on the presence of complementary regional resource endowments. Thus, firms that draw resources from universities are more likely to realize performance benefits when a regional economy is rich in complementary resources. We propose that for knowledge-based startup firms, in addition to the direct positive effects of regional and university resources endowments on firm performance found in prior research, regional resource endowments availability will moderate the impact of university resources endowments on firm performance. We examine these relationships within the population of university-based incubators in the US and a sample of knowledge-based firms associated with those incubators.

The Role of University of Central Florida in Regional Economic Development

Technology Transfer in a Global Economy, 2012

ABSTRACT

Promoting Regional Entrepreneurship through University, Government, and Industry Alliances: Initiatives from Florida's High Tech Corridor

Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 2010

ABSTRACT Universities, industry and governments have shared interests that provide incentives for... more ABSTRACT Universities, industry and governments have shared interests that provide incentives for actively managed, mutually beneficial, economic development alliances. Benefits from these alliances include enriched entrepreneurship capital and support for knowledge-based startups and high-impact firms. Regions realizing these outcomes can expect enhanced economic outcomes like job creation, better wages, and higher innovation rates. Aside from prior research demonstrating how tech transfer processes promote innovation and high-tech business formation, little is known about other types of university alliance initiatives and how they contribute to economic development. We seek to describe several university alliances linking partners in academia, industry and government aimed at promoting entrepreneurship capital and high-impact firms. First, we describe research that provides justification for university alliances as a means of promoting regional economic development. We then describe five university alliance initiatives, and provide examples of how each has enriched the region encompassed within the Florida High Tech Corridor.

The co-evolution of the University of Central Florida's technology incubator and the entrepreneurial infrastructure in Central Florida

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2011

This paper provides a real world example of regional economic development theories in practice. I... more

The Role of Technology Incubators in Engineering Education

icee.usm.edu

The paper sketches the growth of business incubators as a business development tool for community... more