An Ecosystem to instil Entrepreneurial Attitude in Engineers in the Sustainable Knowledge Society

Entrepreneurship is a catalyst for economic growth and national competitiveness. Succeeding in the Sustainable Knowledge Society (SKS) is based on the development of a new archetype of human able to identify and develop new ideas, exploiting technology-based opportunities, in order to create economic and social value. Such new profile has been defined as entrepreneurial engineer (EE). However, the development of EE requires radical innovations that cannot be confined to the traditional education system. This article, relying on the discussion of the preliminary results of a high-tech district case study, addresses the role of an Entrepreneurship ecosystem as intermediary to facilitate public-private partnerships in research and education, with the ultimate purpose to instill entrepreneurial attitudes in engineers, so fostering innovation and technological entrepreneurship in a local context.