Towards the end of last year, I had the idea of bringing all the higher and further education institutions in Wales together to share their experiences of working with industry, developing entrepreneurial students and supporting graduate businesses. And earlier this week, the BeTheSpark movement set up to develop greater entrepreneurship in Wales brought together over 120 participants from universities and colleges who gave over fifty presentations on the impact they are having within the Welsh economy. This should not really be surprising, as both academics and policymakers are increasingly appreciating that knowledge generated from universities is a key contributor to national and regional competitiveness. As a result, universities have become increasingly engaged in using their knowledge to support economic and entrepreneurial development rather than focusing their mission exclusively on teaching and research. These entrepreneurial activities have led policymakers to incr...
Entrepreneurship, innovation and the economy