Abstract:

In time of crisis, it is more necessary that never training professionals oriented to entrepreneurship that are aware of the economic and social challenges that have to face today. If we really want to change our production model we need to facilitate the creation of innovative companies and to increase training efforts in the field of innovation.

Following this line of work, the 2015 University Strategy Document [1] at Spanish national level and the University-Business Strategy project in the region of Castilla y León [2], marked as fundamental objectives to achieve:
- Develop human capital with innovative profile, which may lead to the creation of new companies.
- Increase the transfer of results from research into the production system.

It is clear that we must promote entrepreneurial culture among university students. While it is a common task in all branches of knowledge, science and engineering degrees lend themselves especially to this. Initiatives taken from the transfer of research results offices of universities (Knowledge Transfer Offices) as the Prototypes and Entrepreneur Awards Competitions are very interesting test platforms that are already yielding good results. These initiatives may be also helpful for university research groups, offering new ideas to develop, contact with students with ability and interest towards research and even advertising and branding for their projects. These advantages join the possibility of academic achievement through the Final Degree or Master Work. It is thus an integrating tool of the three poles of the triangle of knowledge[3]: Education, Innovation and Research.

In this paper, we describe the framework in which the experience develops: contests of ideas and university entrepreneurship, focusing mainly in the universities of Castilla y León. Second, we analyze the personal and academic characteristics of the university students interested in these experiences and the typology of projects likely to participate. Finally we discuss the process of tutoring projects for the young entrepreneurship competition developed by the University of Burgos Research Group SWIFT (Solar and Wind Feasibility Technologies) and how has been applied in several Final Degree or Master Projects.

[1] Estrategia Universidad 2015. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Gobierno de España.
[2] Estrategia Universidad-Empresa de Castilla y León 2008/2011, Junta de Castilla y León.
[3] Building the ERA of knowledge for growth. Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament of 6 April 2005. COM(2005) 118.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship, Industrial Engineering.