The transition to a circular economy requires innovation at all levels of society. This insightful Research Handbook is the first comprehensive edited work examining how innovation can contribute to a more circular economy. Illustrating the critical part played by individuals, organisations and system-level actors in the development of circular innovations, this Research Handbook demonstrates that while many firms are working towards a circular economy, most of the innovations are incremental. Hence, the loop is far from closed, and much more radical work remains to be done by both academics and practitioners. The content and structure reflect a multi-level understanding of innovation for a circular economy, with conceptual chapters and strong empirical research with both quantitative and qualitative research designs. Highlighting the urgent need for a circular economy, authors call for more comprehensive and radical innovation efforts to achieve it. This Research Handbook will be an invaluable resource for academics and students of innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as those more broadly interested in the circular economy. Practitioners and policymakers will also find this useful for providing practical examples of how to understand innovation processes and frameworks that contribute to a circular economy.

This insightful and comprehensive Research Handbook explores the concept of start-up incubation ecosystems and investigates the various factors that interact to provide a nurturing environment suitable for the creation and successful development of start-ups. Chapters employ a range of approaches for the study of incubation ecosystems, including literature reviews, theoretical studies, and empirical research featuring both quantitative and qualitative methods. An international team of authors analyze data from a diverse range of countries to cover topics including: multi-level approaches to incubation ecosystems; start-up support mechanisms such as incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces; and the role of organizations involved in incubation ecosystems such as universities, government agencies and multinational companies. The Handbook thus illustrates the critical part played by the early development of start-ups within entrepreneurial ecosystems. Scholars and doctoral students working in entrepreneurship and innovation will find this Handbook invaluable to their understanding of start-up incubation ecosystems and in illuminating future research agendas. It will also prove useful to practitioners and policymakers working with start-ups and organizations that support them. Contributors include: B.W. Amo, C. Bellavitis, P. Benneworth, P.M. Bican, A. Billstroem, J.J. Bragelien, M. Breivik-Meyer, A. Brem, E. Carlsson, T.H. Clausen, C.M. DaSilva, M. Good, J. Grande, M. Gulbrandsen, J.O. Hansen, R.R. Hermann, E.J. Isaksen, A. Jensen, A.R. Johnson, E.J.B. Jorgensen, K. Kassel, M. Knockaert, L. Kolvereid, M. Landoni, K. Lesniak, A. Mariussen, K.E. Masyn, A. McKelvie, K. Messeghem, S. Mitchell, D. Modic, N. Nguyen, G. Nonet, N. Nordling, A. Novotny, A. O'Connor, I.B. Pettersen, R. Pugh, E. Rasmussen, T. Ratinho, S. Saarenketo, S.R. Sardeshmukh, M. Sargent, R.M. Smith, R. Sorheim, O. Straub, C. Theodoraki, E. Thomas, L. Torkkeli, E. van der Lingen, H. Velt, K.H. Voldsund, J. Wiklund, T. Yoshioka-Kobayashi

This insightful and comprehensive Research Handbook explores the concept of start-up incubation ecosystems and investigates the various factors that interact to provide a nurturing environment suitable for the creation and successful development of start-ups. Chapters employ a range of approaches for the study of incubation ecosystems, including literature reviews, theoretical studies, and empirical research featuring both quantitative and qualitative methods. An international team of authors analyze data from a diverse range of countries to cover topics including: multi-level approaches to incubation ecosystems; start-up support mechanisms such as incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces; and the role of organizations involved in incubation ecosystems such as universities, government agencies and multinational companies. The Handbook thus illustrates the critical part played by the early development of start-ups within entrepreneurial ecosystems. Scholars and doctoral students working in entrepreneurship and innovation will find this Handbook invaluable to their understanding of start-up incubation ecosystems and in illuminating future research agendas. It will also prove useful to practitioners and policymakers working with start-ups and organizations that support them. Contributors include: B.W. Amo, C. Bellavitis, P. Benneworth, P.M. Bican, A. Billstroem, J.J. Bragelien, M. Breivik-Meyer, A. Brem, E. Carlsson, T.H. Clausen, C.M. DaSilva, M. Good, J. Grande, M. Gulbrandsen, J.O. Hansen, R.R. Hermann, E.J. Isaksen, A. Jensen, A.R. Johnson, E.J.B. Jorgensen, K. Kassel, M. Knockaert, L. Kolvereid, M. Landoni, K. Lesniak, A. Mariussen, K.E. Masyn, A. McKelvie, K. Messeghem, S. Mitchell, D. Modic, N. Nguyen, G. Nonet, N. Nordling, A. Novotny, A. O'Connor, I.B. Pettersen, R. Pugh, E. Rasmussen, T. Ratinho, S. Saarenketo, S.R. Sardeshmukh, M. Sargent, R.M. Smith, R. Sorheim, O. Straub, C. Theodoraki, E. Thomas, L. Torkkeli, E. van der Lingen, H. Velt, K.H. Voldsund, J. Wiklund, T. Yoshioka-Kobayashi

It is a clear international trend that universities are expected to take on technology transfer and commercialization of research as a part of their mission. This development is supported by government initiatives aiming to develop a better infrastructure for technology transfer. This book looks at the development of an infrastructure for university technology transfer in Norway. The use of government policies and support schemes is presented and analyzed. Although the technology transfer initiatives need to be adapted to the national context, four lessons can be learned from looking at the Norwegian efforts. These are related to the long- term efforts required to build an infrastructure for technology transfer, the role of bottom-up involvement from universities and researchers, the establishment of relations to commercial actors, and the development of competent persons to work as boundary spanners in the intersection between academic research and industrial application. This book provides examples and discusses good practise based on the lessons learned from the Norwegian efforts to promote technology transfer from universities.

This book examines the university spin-off firm formation process and how this process can be facilitated within a university context. A university spin-off is defined as a new venture which is initiated in a university context and based on technology developed within a university. This book adds more theoretically grounded approaches to the spin-off literature by taking a constructivist perspective emphasizing the entrepreneurial process and the university capabilities to facilitate this process. This book emphasizes that university spin- off firms emerge as a result of complex processes involving many actors. The spin-off activity is to a large degree embedded within the other university activities and the university capabilities to facilitate this activity are based at multiple levels within and outside the university.