ENHANCING INTELLECTUAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The identification of the nature of intellectual entrepreneurship in institutions of higher education has enabled to justify its specific principles, map the key problems of intellectual entrepreneurship development in Ukrainian universities and outline the pathways to their solution. The paper offers a concept of innovative entrepreneurship in institutions of higher education based on commercialization of intellectual activity results (IAR) viewed as a separate type of activity aimed at creation and realization of the commercial potential of university R&D results which relies on its own principles and is ensured through specific instruments within the University's infrastructure and is implemented in unique organizational forms. To ensure the implementation of the suggested organizational and economic mechanism, the content, principles and objectives of infrastructural support for commercialization of intellectual activity results in institutions of higher education have been developed. The heart of the organizational model for commercialization of IAR in institutions of higher education is an engineering centre. A multi-project mechanism for managing the commercialization of IAR in institutions of higher education has also been proposed, the core of which is a permanent project office operating within the engineering centre with engaged cross-functional teams on commercialization and respective project organizational structures to promote the entry of innovative products based on advanced developments of institutions of higher education into the market. The use of the developed assessment criteria for evaluating the innovation and commercial potentials of intellectual activity results facilitates a reasonable selection of intellectual activity results for commercialization (subject to their innovative and commercial potential assessment) along with providing an objective comparison of IAR and innovative products by various criteria combinations to set the priorities and make rational decisions in the area of financing and resourcing which enhances the overall efficiency of innovation activities and intellectual entrepreneurship  performance in institutions of higher education.