Introduction to start-up creation for the smart eco-efficient built environment

Abstract

Start-up creation is the most distinctive feature of the entrepreneurial knowledge-based economy. It is also essential for economic growth that is needed in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis and especially important in the context of young graduates' high unemployment rates, which are expected to increase in the next decades. This chapter briefly reviews historic facts on entrepreneurship and on the evolution of the university role from the preservation and dissemination of knowledge (teaching), to knowledge generation (research), and more recently to economic and social development that categorizes the entrepreneurial university. It summarizes studies concerning the discussion on the different university technology transfer rates. Dynamics of start-up creation are briefly reviewed. The importance of start-up creation for the smart eco-efficient built environment is highlighted. An outline of the book is included.