Creating effective university innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems: a commitment system perspective

Even though many universities have been working toward building a university-wide innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem (UIEE), these UIEEs tend to remain stand-alone ecosystems that do not integrate very well with the wider regional entrepreneurial ecosystem (REE) existing outside the university’s boundaries. Even if they do, it is believed that their interlinkages are effective in some respects and not in others. Drawing upon the Commitment System Theory, we examine the nature of symbiotic relationships that can and should develop between the two ecosystems for the UIEE to realize its full potential and play its critical role in supporting continued entrepreneurship within a region. Specifically, we deconstruct the nature and implications of UIEE’s commitments operating at two levels—within the UIEE itself and between the UIEE and the REE. We propose that the nature of linkages in these commitment systems is fundamental to shaping the impact of UIEE. This, in turn, influences both the university and the regional ecosystem to give rise to a dynamic university-based innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem that continuously evolves. We present a conceptual framework and identify a commitment subsystem that emerges at the intersection of two commitment systems—UIEE and REE. By doing so, we unravel the multiple commitments that govern the existence of the UIEE and the wider regional entrepreneurial ecosystem that exists outside the university’s boundaries.