The Role of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in Academic Spin-off Creation: A Cooperation Perspective

Abstract Cooperation between Higher Education Institutions and Enterprises (HEI-E-C) is extremely relevant in regional economic development. Therefore, this study aims to understand the role of HEI academic spin-off creation. To achieve objective, we adopted qualitative approach (case method) focused on a cooperation relation involving Portuguese two spin-offs. For data collecting, several interviews with key informants direct observation were used. Content analysis founders these spin-offs lecturers teaching curricular unit entrepreneurship studied, results identified some essential aspects type (HEI-E): (1) its importance growth for growth, (2) influence entrepreneurs’ characteristics process creating spin-off, (3) motivations create benefits HEIs. This also presents implications theory educational business practice.