Adoption of alternative transport technologies in the construction industry

This research examines how the construction industry adopts alternative transport technologies. This paper presents the general characteristics of the adopter and what his perceptions are towards innovative transport technologies. The study focused on four rates of innovation, related tot alternative transport technologies. The results show that 83% of the respondents choose innovation over no innovation; more than half of the respondents choose an innovation that can be characterized as “architectural”. Further, the perceived benefits of the innovation characteristics for an incremental innovation are higher then the perceived benefits for an architectural or radical innovation. Finally, from the ventures that chose to innovate, smaller companies prefer an architectural - more challenging - innovation rather then an incremental innovation

Organising for Effective Academic Entrepreneurship

The contribution has three parts. In the first part the concept of academic entrepreneurship is explained, defined and put into the context of the entrepreneurial university. In the second part four cases are described: - (1) The Nikos case at the University of Twente: In Nikos teaching, research and spin-off activities are combined into one research institute. - (2) The NICENT case at the University of Ulster: NICENT is set up under the Science and Enterprise Centre activities in the UK. It focuses on education and training of students (undergraduates, graduates and post-graduates) and the stimulation of academic entrepreneurship in the academic constituency. - (3) The S-CIO case at Saxion Universities for Applied Sciences: In 2004 Saxion set up this Centre to have a one-stop shop for all entrepreneurial activities at the University. - (4) The Chair in Technological Entrepreneurship at Tshwane University: The focus of the Chair is on education of (under)graduate students in (technological) entrepreneurship and on the stimulation of entrepreneurship in the wider community. Each case has its own specific angle on academic entrepreneurship and in the thrid part the four cases are compared and analysed according to the model presented in the first part. Finally, some conclusions are formulated regarding the organisation of effective academic entrepreneurship

Harvesting the results of the mentoring process of knowledge intensive startups

Mentoring is often used by business development programs to assist startups. In this paper we look at the perceptions of protégés and mentors about this process, hereby different business development programs in Europe were incorporated. It was hypothesized that there is a relationship between contact frequency and amount of support delivered to the protégé. This hypothesis was partly supported. Furthermore we hypothesized that if the amount of support is higher that the positive associated outcomes like trust and benefits to the protégé also will be higher. This hypothesis was mainly supported for the benefits of the protégé. Last also the relation between short and long term outcomes was hypothesized. The research showed that there is a relation between the benefits and the profoundness of the relation in the long term. The corresponding implication for program managers are discussed below

The adoption of innovative asphalt equipment in road construction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the adoption process of innovative asphalt equipment in road construction and how the level of knowledge as characterised by the level of education in the companies affects this process. The emphasis is on equipment used for transporting asphalt from asphalt plant to construction site or at the construction site itself. It is assumed that the uptake of this equipment is influenced by the radicality of the innovation and the company's level of education. Design/methodology/approach – In this research, the innovation behaviour of construction companies is assessed through a case study, an expert opinion, and an industry survey (of which 55 per cent of the total population participated). Findings – The results show that on average, experts and companies alike give more radical equipment innovations less adoption chances. Companies prefer to make minor improvements and perceive no benefits in implementing a risky radical equipment innovation. Companies that have a higher level of knowledge are found to show a more positive and professional attitude towards implementing innovative asphalt equipment. Research limitations/implications – The defined knowledge is restricted to the formal level of education of both management and the firm in one part of the construction industry. The knowledge indicator used in this study has a high validity (it is easy to measure). Further research could focus on other types of knowledge affecting innovation adoption in other parts of the construction industry. Originality/value – The value of this study is that it addresses the important questions of how managers of construction firms select equipment and how it is affected by the level of knowledg

Over het slechten van barrières voor kennistransfer tussen universiteit en het midden- en kleinbedrijf

In deze bijdrage staat de verhouding tussen de universiteit en het MKB ten aanzien van kennistransfer centraal. Ondanks vele overheidssubsidies blijven er barrières bestaan die de samenwerking belemmeren. Deze belemmeringen zijn van institutionele, structurele en waarderingsaard. De maatstaven die universiteiten hanteren ten aanzien van het werk van hun wetenschappelijk personeel bemoeilijken de samenwerking met het MKB, dat een grote afstand tot de universiteit ervaart. Via een meer dynamisch model wordt aangegeven dat in het bijzonder op facultair, persoonlijk en afdelingsniveau wel degelijk mogelijkheden bestaan tot kennistransfer, en dat de universiteit – overheidsdialoog dit zou kunnen institutionaliseren. Het artikel roept zowel universiteit als MKB op ook op strategisch niveau interactief samen te werken en geeft zes belangrijke aspecten ter verbetering aan