“TECHNOPRENEURSHIP”—merging technological prowess and entrepreneurial skills—is considered the source of power in today’s knowledge-based economy, experts claim, adding that technopreneurs are considered future wealth creators and economy drivers of the country.
Unfortunately, only a few Philippine agri-entrepreneurs engage themselves in business supported by science and technology based on the observations by Dr. Dinah Depositario and her research team at the University of the Philippine Los Baños (UPLB).
In their study titled “Entrepreneurial skill enhancement needs of potential technopreneurs: Focus on agrirelated technologies,” the team of Depositario found out that quite a number of the current technology developers and technopreneurs were in their 50s and 60s, respectively, because they started to engage in technopreneurship only when retired or separated from the university.
The team also observed that a substantial number of them had doctorate and masteral degrees in various basic and applied sciences.
They also noted that there were only a few technology developers who were currently into entrepreneurship and these were not technology-based business. The team further observed that not one of the students presently enrolled was involved in any capacity in any business venture.
The study showed that the technology developers and students in UPLB lack certain critical personal entrepreneurial competency traits possessed by entrepreneurs. The mean scores for opportunity seeking and risk taking were found to be significantly different between the current technopreneurs and technology developers, and student groups.
One technology developer viewed technopreneurship as the process of commercializing the technology per se but not necessarily being involved in venturing into any business and such view seemed to reflect why only a few are engaging in technopreneurship.
One of the most frequently cited perceived hindrances of College of Agriculture students was the lack of technical background. The teaching methodologies of technical course professors and their course requirements were not also entrepreneurial-oriented.
Based on the results of the study, the researchers saw the need to cultivate an entrepreneurial culture among UPLB faculty members, researchers and students to fast track the promotion of technopreneurship at UPLB. They also saw the need for the university to look into the traits that have to be enhanced among UPLB technology developers and students.
The research team also recommended adjustments in teaching methodologies to accommodate entrepreneurial skill enhancement activities. Lastly, they also recommended that technology commercialization and technopreneurship-related policies and other support mechanisms be firmly put in place in UPLB, the UP system, and the national level.
No comments:
Post a Comment