Entrepreneurial education: an entrepreneurial ecosystem approach

How can an entrepreneurial education program simultaneously create entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and competencies, as well as new ventures and jobs? This is a particular challenge for universities that are keen to align with government policies and demonstrate impact. Our paper examines a novel approach to enterprise and entrepreneurship education that integrates training/learning with new venture creation by operating as an entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE). We outline a comprehensive EE framework and apply this model using an exploratory case study of an EE centred around an innovative academic unit called The Entrepreneurial Garden (TEG) at Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France. TEG offers entrepreneurial education, research and new venture development as an integrated portfolio. This analysis shows how an academic unit can be developed as an EE building from local resources and expertise, aligning with macroeconomic policies and priorities, and leveraging partnerships to provide access to other entrepreneurial players, resources and networks.