Silicon Flatirons' Report on Higher Education and Entrepreneurship
Colorado Law’s Silicon Flatirons Center and the Governor's Innovation Council just released Higher Education and Entrepreneurship in Colorado, which has some very powerful statistics and facts. The report examines entrepreneurship education at Colorado's colleges and universities and suggests ways to further promote it and the economic growth it brings. One key finding is that Colorado's universities and federal laboratories train the next generation of entrepreneurs and incubate their spinoff ventures, contributing to the Front Range's status as a "mega-region" – one of a dozen locales that together yield two thirds of global economic activity and 90% of innovation.
The Report provided the intellectual framework for the June 2009 Roundtable discussion on entrepreneurship and higher education, which identified potential initiatives Colorado universities should take to obtain their entrepreneurship goals. Specifically, the Roundtable discussants recognized the need to:
- Raise awareness of entrepreneurship initiatives
- Facilitate collaboration and information sharing among educational institutions
- Develop a pan-campus network focused upon entrepreneurial education issues
The group then recommended consideration of specific initiatives to accomplish these goals, including:
- Entrepreneurship education clearinghouse
- Grassroots awareness drive
- Improved collaboration
- Establishment of a policy forum