The Role of Consulting and Support for Entrepreneurship in Universities: A French Experience
Résumé
Universities are emerging as key contributors to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This position is a result, on the one hand, of the pressure of public policies that forced them to change their status and encouraged the introduction of entrepreneurship into the academic programmes for students. On the other hand, universities are seeking to become more involved in regional dynamics by enhancing the employability of their graduates. This paper analyses the positioning of the university within the territorial entrepreneurial ecosystem, through its role of consulting and support for the process of student business creation. The results of a qualitative study of entrepreneurial support structures in the Languedoc- Roussillon region in southern France show that the universities seem today to be recognized as actors of the territorial entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, a number of questions about the role of consulting and support services remain unanswered, especially since the new role of universities can lead them to be perceived as competitors of existing entrepreneurial support structures and devices.