The Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning interviewed Prof Walter Kuemmerle, a guest speaker at the recent European Entrepreneurship Colloquium (EEC 2012) in Cambridge, about the role of the University in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. During the EEC, Prof Kuemmerle focussed on technology entrepreneurship in proximity to a University, the role of the University and some of the challenges for a start-up company using specific case study examples. He regards Universities as fertile grounds for innovation but has some interesting comments on the tendency for creating ‘lifestyle’ entrepreneurs. Professor Kuemmerle believes there are key entrepreneurial characteristics which can be learned and has written a Harvard Business School publication based on this subject. He also talks about the need for more investigation through research about University environments and the resulting start-ups.
