May 2016 Download this article as a PDF

From the Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the May 2016 issue of the Technology Innovation Management Review. This month's editorial theme is Entrepreneurial India, and I am pleased to introduce our guest editor, Dharmesh Raval, Dean of the Faculty of Management and Professor and Director of the School of Management at RK University in Rajkot, India.

The timing of this issue also coincides with the launch of a new initiative to provide knowledge and opportunities to Canadian and Indian technology startups to enter the Indian or Canadian markets. The Canada-India Acceleration program is a partnership between the Canada-India Centre at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and Lead To Win, a business-development program and business ecosystem led by Carleton University. In autumn 2016, the first cohort of entrepreneurs will travel to their counterpart countries where they will receive information about entering the market, seeking funding, and connecting with investors, and they will be hosted in a leading incubator for three months.

In addition to four India-focused articles, this issue also includes a summary of a recent TIM Lecture given by Elizabeth Collinson, a Project Officer in the Outreach Program of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). The lecture provided an introduction to intellectual property with a particular emphasis on its relevance to entrepreneurs in Canada.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the TIM Review and will share your comments online. We welcome your submissions of articles on technology entrepreneurship, innovation management, and other topics relevant to launching and growing technology companies and solving practical problems in emerging domains. Please contact us with potential article topics and submissions.

Chris McPhee
Editor-in-Chief


From the Guest Editor

It is my pleasure to be the guest editor for this special issue of the TIM Review on Entrepreneurial India. The authors in this issue contribute to the conscious agenda for developing the “thinking” behind creating a more enterprising and innovative India through entrepreneurship.

This issue marks the first intellectual collaboration between Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where the TIM Review is published, and RK University in Rajkot, India. Both universities are increasingly involved in entrepreneurship research and training and provide strong support to campus startups. Given the reciprocal interest in the two countries in promoting collaboration, trade, and pathways for global entrepreneurship, it was natural to work together on this issue focusing on entrepreneurship in India.

In the first article, Alok Chakrawal from Saurashtra University and Pratibha Goyal from Punjab Agricultural University discuss the challenge of branding (or re-branding) India as a nation. The article describes how the world perceives India, and therefore its businesses, while providing a "big picture" view of the current economic standing of the country among its peers around the world. It highlights areas of conscious efforts by the business community and the central government, whose potential contributions can strengthen Brand India through major economic and non-economic policy initiatives.

Next, Nikhil Gokhale, Associate Director of the Faculty of Doctoral Studies & Research at RK University in Rajkot, examines research-inspired entrepreneurship in India. In his article, he describes how the culture in India is moving on from merely seeking steady employment to engaging in entrepreneurship and its inherent risks. He is optimistic about the future and the country's current position of standing on the threshold of an entrepreneurial culture. With innovation, funding, and patents, entrepreneurship in India may be set to take a big leap.

Then, Shiv S. Tripathi, Assistant Professor of Strategic Management at the Management Development Institute in Gurgaon, analyzes the types of open innovation activities engaged in by manufacturing-based firms in India. The article compares the collaborations each industry has entered into to identify the industries that are more open to take risks by collaborating with other parties in multiple ways. In doing so, the article provides insights into the changing mindsets of Indian companies as they increasingly more open and entrepreneurial working practices.

Finally, I answer the question, "What is the role of higher education institutions in promoting entrepreneurship in India?" by looking at the current scenario of entrepreneurship education. This Q&A covers the role of business schools, the importance of incubation and mentorship, and the key challenges in promoting entrepreneurship in India. A key message is that the role of higher education institutions is changing, and that the increasing training and support they are offering to student entrepreneurs is a means of contributing to the national economy.

It has been an enriching learning experience to work with the contributors to this special issue, including Chris McPhee, the journal's Editor-in-Chief. We also greatly appreciate the initiating and coordinating efforts of Punit Saurabh, Assistant Professor at the School of Management and Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Cell at RK University, without whom this issue would not have been possible.

With this special issue, our intention is to reflect on and evaluate the evolution and emergence of entrepreneurship and innovation in India. We hope you enjoy reading the articles and that their insights will have relevance not only to those engaging with Indian businesses and researchers, but also to those facing similar opportunities and challenges in other developing countries. We will look forward to hearing your views.

Dharmesh Raval
Guest Editor

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Keywords: Brand India, entrepreneurship, higher education institutions, India, intellectual property, Make in India, Open innovation, research, startups