12 Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses
Entrepreneurship and economic development activities are part of the university’s strategic plan.
Entrepreneurship is identified as a defining area for the university and is one of the eight themes in the
strategic plan.
Entrepreneurship is not addressed specifically in the strategic plan, but there are several mentions
of related ideas, such as promoting the development of intellectual property and the promotion of
economic development. There are several centers on campus dedicated to entrepreneurship.
From the strategic plan: Become a trusted partner with business by increasing integrated public-private
partnerships, leveraging the activities of Applied Innovation, fostering entrepreneurship and regional
economic development, and cultivating opportunities for student internships and alumni employment.
I think it’s important to note that we do not see innovation as being solely linked to entrepreneurship,
but rather something to be sought across the university, so we actively work with the humanities as well
as traditional STEM and business colleges.
In addition to several programs currently in place around the university, the College of Business has the
addition of a university-wide entrepreneurship minor as a strategic goal.
In our institution’s current academic plan a number of goals and strategies focus on innovation and
entrepreneurship. Specifically: Create research facilities that support innovation and translation of
new discoveries into applications. Encourage student participation in innovation and entrepreneurial
activities. Create incentives for students to enroll and engage in translational learning opportunities.
Create incentives for faculty participation as student mentors for projects translating research
discoveries to applications. Collaborate with industries working in our priority research areas to secure
crucial equipment needed to test or license new protocols, products, or techniques that would expand
access to markets. Create training opportunities for students from Campus Alberta and provide access
to specialized research. Promote partnerships with local and provincial agencies, and industry to
accelerate research applications. Encourage university engagement with Innovate Calgary and other
commercialization centres (e.g., Biovantage—an Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF) funded
commercialization centre). Institute a professional development program for scholars interested in
commercializing knowledge. Review and improve our intellectual property (IP) policy and related
procedures to support faculty and graduate students engaged in commercialization efforts. Develop
simplified “Memoranda of Understanding” for encouraging industrial partnerships while supporting
university interests.
Innovation Academy, Innovation Hub, Big Idea-Gator, Business Plan Competition
It is a priority on campus.
It is included in the university’s strategic plan.
More classes require students to solve problems, devise business or marketing plans, or create
advertising campaigns for actual organizations. Students conduct market research for potential
technologies on behalf of inventors, or develop their own technologies and follow the steps toward
commercialization. Students have opportunities to participate in local, regional, or national business
plan or case competitions for cash prizes. They can join regional, national, or school-sponsored
clubs that manage actual investments. Beyond the expansion in the classroom, the following
outcomes are evidence of the university’s decision to make it a strategic priority in recent years:
Establishment of the Technology Ventures Office (with a large staff) to “maximize the impact of
JHU’s excellence in research by facilitating the translation and commercialization of discoveries into
accessible technologies, products, and services for the benefit of society.” Launch of an innovation
hub. Investment in an incubator for socially innovative endeavors and an accelerator for health care
information technologies. Creation of an entrepreneurship boot camp. Development of a mentors-in-
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