Title: Experiences using a science-based Lean LaunchPad program and its impact on national innovation system evolution

Authors: Tim Kastelle; Sarah King; Martie-Louise Verreynne; Peter Kambouris

Addresses: School of Business, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia ' CSIRO Manufacturing, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, 75 Pigdons Road, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia ' School of Business, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia ' CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, GPO Box 2583, Brisbane Qld, 4001, Australia

Abstract: Innovation drives economic growth. At the level of countries, the national innovation system has a strong influence on the success of innovative activities within the region. However, it is often assumed that these systems evolve through policy innovation, in a top-down manner. This paper presents an exploratory case study of the introduction of a Lean LaunchPad program in Australia. It started as a small pilot then quickly grew to become a national program. The details of this case give insight into another way that innovation systems evolve: through an evolutionary process of variation, selection and replication.

Keywords: research commercialisation; lean start-up; technology transfer; national innovation system; NIS; Lean LaunchPad; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2018.095902

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2018 Vol.35 No.3, pp.356 - 370

Received: 24 Nov 2016
Accepted: 07 Mar 2017

Published online: 26 Oct 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article