The challenges encountered by established firms transforming their linear business models into circular business models (CBMs) have received extensive research attention. Such firms have experience and market foothold but tend to adopt an incremental approach to CBMs due to risks of business model cannibalization. However, there is relatively limited research on the challenges experienced by new ventures developing CBMs from scratch – circular new ventures. New ventures are often agile, experimental and deploy disruptive CBMs even though they lack resources. The lack of knowledge specific to this topic is constraining for entities such as incubators and accelerators that seek to facilitate the emergence and scale-up of circular new ventures. Furthermore, researchers cannot presume that the challenges experienced by established firms are the same for new ventures when developing CBMs. Thus, the aim of this article is to explore the challenges that new ventures experience while developing circular business models from scratch, synthesize the sources of these challenges and provide practitioner implications to overcome them. In doing so, we studied 70 circular new ventures across Europe. Our article makes four original contributions to the literature. First, our study is seminal in using a large cross-country dataset to qualitatively analyse the empirical challenges of new ventures developing circular business models. Second, we identify which challenges are generic for CBMs, which challenges are specific for certain CBM types and for circular new ventures in particular. Third, we show that the challenges of circular new ventures are determined by their: (i) type of circular business model, (ii) industrial sector, (iii) institutional context, and (iv) new ventures liabilities. Altogether, we highlight that while circular new ventures and new ventures experience several similar challenges, circular new ventures particularly struggle to scale-up due to their liabilities of newness and smallness which limits their resources and legitimacy to enter strategic partnerships crucial for new venture survival.

This paper delves into the dyadic relationships between Science Parks (SPs) and universities from the perspective of SPs. It explores various dimensions, including organizational functions, co-location, collaboration, management team activities, partnerships, and connections with university students and senior academics. A survey of 120 European SPs underscores the significance of having the University-Industry Liaison Office within the SP, fostering increased collaboration with the local university, providing career opportunities for university students, and promoting alumni network activities. Additionally, the proximity of universities and research institutions within a 50 km radius positively impacts the relationships between SPs and universities. Additionally, the paper offers several managerial implications. Establishing communication channels between SP management and universities fosters an environment that boosts the open exchange of ideas, collaborative discussions, and problem-solving. The alignment of SPs and universities' goals and objectives, particularly in areas such as research themes, industry partnerships, technology transfer, and talent development, further solidifies the mutually advantageous nature of these relationships, establishing a strong foundation for their enhancement. Within the SP environment, universities can closely collaborate with businesses, start-ups, and entrepreneurs, promoting innovation, commercializing research findings, and incubating spin-off ventures.

This editorial provides insights for academics considering the role of a guest editor for a special issue in Technovation, an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to technological innovation and entrepreneurship. As a guest editor, you have the opportunity to thoroughly explore exciting themes, introduce innovative approaches, and catalyze new research avenues. The editorial also offers guidance on what defines a ‘special’ issue, the balancing act in its scope, and the importance of a well-defined theme to attract quality submissions. Additionally, it examines the roles, management, and responsibilities of guest editors, emphasizing the need for diverse and international guest editor teams. Practical advice on writing the editorial and insights from the author's experience as a special issue editor contribute to the understanding and successful execution of the guest editor role.

While extant literature conceptually recognizes individuals as an integral part of the process with which organizations absorb new knowledge, past research has paid limited attention to the antecedents of individual-level absorptive capacity. In this paper, we address this research gap. We build on the interactionist perspective and propose that individual-level absorptive capacity is shaped by the joint effects of individual employees’ dispositions (i.e., need for cognition and proactive personality) and their work context (i.e., time pressure and autonomy). Significantly, we also recognize the multidimensional nature of absorptive capacity, which suggests that individuals need different capabilities to learn and utilize new knowledge in their organizations. We test our predictions using a unique dataset from 646 employees working on knowledge-intensive tasks. Our results show that the joint effects of dispositional and contextual antecedents are not uniform across different dimensions of individual-level absorptive capacity.

This study aims to evaluate the influence of institutions on the probability of becoming a social entrepreneur and the effect of this choice on individual economic well-being. The authors also analyze the effects of gender (male versus female entrepreneurism) and type (traditional versus social entrepreneurism). Institutional economics framed the analysis, and hypotheses were tested using two-stage probit least squares models in a sample of 69,236 individuals from 57 countries during the 2010–2014 wave from the World Values Survey. The results showed that, for most variables, institutions significantly explained the probability of becoming a social entrepreneur. The analyses also indicated that social entrepreneurship is highly associated with individual economic well-being. This research brings insights into the discussion of the social and economic benefits of socially oriented entrepreneurs. Likewise, the modeling approach overcomes the interplay between entrepreneurship and economic outcomes, in which institutions become key factors.

Despite extensive research on academic entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial universities, this special issue challenges conventional beliefs by examining intrapreneurship in academia. It aims to investigate how faculty and staff can adopt entrepreneurial behaviors and cultivate an entrepreneurial approach within their roles as researchers and educators, in diverse academic contexts. The 11 papers included in this issue span various domains of intrapreneurial universities, broadening the original concept beyond initial expectations set forth in the call for papers. Exploring a spectrum of intrapreneurial initiatives, this issue seeks to enhance understanding and broaden perspectives on intrapreneurial behaviors within universities through various research approaches and methodologies. Based on the contributions received, we reflect on theoretical and practical implications and delineate future directions for academic intrapreneurship research.

This article explores the role of start-ups within entrepreneurial ecosystems in driving the transition towards a circular economy. It emphasises the importance of understanding and supporting circular start-ups for broader sustainability impacts. Unlike established firms, start-ups can readily adopt ambitious circular business models (CBMs) without the risk of business model cannibalisation and with the agility to adapt to market trends. CBMs enhance value creation, delivery and capture resource flows in an optimised non-linear fashion. Scaling up CBMs is crucial for overall economic, social and environmental benefits. Hence, leveraging the key entrepreneurial ecosystems actors, such as universities, business incubators and related venture development intermediaries, is vital for start-up support. In this special issue, we have invited researchers to submit contributions that delve into the dynamics among start-ups, entrepreneurial ecosystems and the circular economy, aiming to enrich our understanding of the early stage start-up development process with the aim of promoting the circular economy at a firm, regional or national level.

 To maximize the rent-yield of the innovation and product development process, firms attempt to commercialize knowledge through activities that require effective knowledge transfer. Knowledge transfer remains a challenge for most firms, however, due to the recipient organization’s lack of ability to absorb and apply new knowledge. We examined four knowledge-transfer projects within a large multinational corporation. We identified important actions, lessons learned, and recommendations that practitioners can use to enhance their own knowledge-transfer processes.

The circular economy aims for an effective and efficient resource use. Thus, application of the concept can benefit the sustainability performance of companies. Specifically, business modelling is a key enabler for the transition to a circular economy. However, the related research is dominated by a focus on incumbent companies and their transition from linear to circular business models. This focus risks missing out on actors such as start-ups who can experiment with and develop potentially more radical circular business models. Thus, using interviews with 37 start-ups developing circular business models, we analyzed their characteristics and challenges. Our findings reveal that, such firms encounter general challenges related to circular business modelling and new venture development. Furthermore, such start-ups are often dependent on an ecosystem of actors to create, deliver and capture value based on circular principles. Thus, they encounter challenges to scale up their business based on their liabilities of smallness and dependency. Altogether, these challenges of “circular start-ups” call for a holistic approach to understanding their development process.