The need for competencies about innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education

Conference on Entrepreneurship in Higher EducationOslo and Akershus University College of Applied SciencesDecember 2nd 2011

Associate professor Knut Boge

Why bother with innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education?

— The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research’s (2009) action plan: — Entrepreneurship in Education and Training – from compulsory

school to higher education 2009–2014

— The European Qualifications Framework (EFQ) — Implementation of the EFQ creates a need for improving the

academic staff’s competencies about innovation and entrepreneurship

— Societal changes; i.e. ageing population, increased economic competition from newly industrialized countries, etc.

— The students’ “employability”

Project NOU E15 (2010-11) - Competence development in entrepreneurship and innovation within higher education in the Oslo/Akershus region

— Financed by Norway’s Opening Universities (NOU)— Consortium:

— Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (HiOA)

— Hedmark University College (HiHm)— BI Norwegian School of Management — Virke Federation— Ungt entreprenørskap (UE, Young Entrepreneurship Oslo) — (Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Oslo (UiO))

Project NOU E15 (2010-11)

— SP A: Development of a course module providing basic competencies about innovation and entrepreneurship for the academic staff

— SP B: Development of a course in innovation and entrepreneurship for the academic staff at the teacher educations

— SP C: Building a professional forum/network for faculty staff/teachers teaching innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education in Oslo, Akershus, and Hedmark

Different perspectives on entrepreneurship

  Commercial entrepreneurship

Pedagogical entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship

Research and education about entrepreneurship

     

Research and education for entrepreneurship

     

Research and education through entrepreneurship

     

Source: Cf. Spilling og Johansen 2011

Social entrepreneurship

Socially driven mission

No profit required I – Traditional non-profit organizations

II – «Tipping Point» organisations

Profit required

III – “Transient” organizations

IV – Traditional business organizations

Marked driven mission

Source: Massetti 2008

Why bother..?

— Maintaining and furthering the educations’ relevance— Learning about and practicing innovation and

entrepreneurship develop skills and competencies the students can utilize under many different circumstances

— It is fun

How to further project NOU E15?

— Are there any interest for establishing an annual regional or national conference for innovation and entrepreneurship similar what NEON has become for the organisational sciences?