November 30 and December 1, 2006
Organized: by the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics at the National Technical University of Athens
Coordinator: Yannis Caloghirou, Asc.Professor

CALL for papers for the DIME –RAL 2 WP 2.2
Conference E-mail: dimeliee@chemeng.ntua.gr

Objective:
This Conference deals with issues within the Research Action Line 2 of the DIME Network of Excellence and in particular looks at the relationship between entrepreneurship, knowledge and learning through the analysis of the evolution of systems, industrial and territorial clusters and regions.
Proposals for contributions-theoretical or empirical (based on surveys, data bases and case studies) are asked on the following  four broad areas of research:

1. Entrepreneurship and Cluster Development

• The role of entrepreneurial activity in the formation and vibrancy of clusters.
• The impact of clusters and industrial configurations on the growth of entrepreneurship at the regional level.
• Local dynamics and global linkages. The role of inter-organizational linkages within clusters and/or between clusters and global value chains in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The importance of geographic proximity between entrepreneurial activity and knowledge sources.
• The relationship between knowledge bases at the firm level, the cluster absorptive capacity and the cluster growth potential.
• The impact of location on entrepreneurial performance. Making territories and regions more attractive by bringing in and encouraging creative, talented people, developing the necessary infrastructure and entrepreneurial skills.
• Alternative models of cluster formation and entrepreneurship promotion in different regions.
• Development and competitiveness of cross-border clusters.
• Governance patterns of clusters and global value chains.
• The factors determining a slower growth of newly created firms in many European regions compared to the growth of similar ventures in other regions (for example in the United States).

2. Entrepreneurship and Human Capital: The role of entrepreneurial studies in Engineering Education.

• What is the role of higher education in developing entrepreneurial skills and business related learning?
• How higher education institutions can operate as pipelines for entrepreneurship and technology transfer?
• How research efforts and entrepreneurial skills interact in order to exploit and/or create new business opportunities?
• What is the role of higher-education institutions in promoting knowledge-based entrepreneurship at the regional level?
• What models of entrepreneurial education for engineers and scientists can be identified, based on the experience in different countries or regions?

3. Managing and coordinating the entrepreneurial development process: A learning perspective

• How managers learn during the creation and management of the entrepreneurial ventures?
• Which are the key elements of the “content” dimension of entrepreneurial learning?
• How entrepreneurs ‘bring forward’ learning from business failures to new ventures and entrepreneurial endeavors?
• How the entrepreneurial venture context influences entrepreneurial learning (for example learning priorities of entrepreneurs may vary according to industry sector or even cluster)?
• What is the role and value of network relationships in entrepreneurial learning?

4. Entrepreneurship Policy as an emerging policy area distinct from traditional SME/ Enterprise and other related public policies

Date and location: Athens, November 30 and December 1, 2006

Timetable:
Deadline for abstract submission: June 30, 2006.
An extended abstract of max 1200 words should be sent to: dimeliee@chemeng.ntua.gr
All abstracts will be reviewed anonymously and the decision will be sent to the author before August 1, 2006.
Submission of full papers: October 31, 2006.

Registration:
Conference fee: 100 euros
Ph.D. Students: 30 euros
Deadline for registration for paper presenters and participants to the conference: September 10, 2006.

Scientific Committee:

Yannis Caloghirou,  LIEE/National Technical University of Athens
Franco Malerba, CESPRI, Bocconi University
Maureen McKelvey, RIDE, Chalmers University of Technology
Hans Landström, Lund University School of Economics and Management.
Lefteris Papayannakis, LIEE/ National Technical University of Athens
Stavros Ioannides, Panteion University
Lois Labrianidis, Regional development and Policy Research Unit, University of Macedonia
Spyros Lioukas, Athens University of Economics and Business

Local Organizing Committee:

Yannis Caloghirou, y.caloghirou@ntua.gr, Ioanna Kastelli, iokast@chemeng.ntua.gr, Aimilia Protogerou, protoger@chemeng.ntua.gr, Evangelos Siokas, vagsiok@chemeng.ntua.gr