Entrepreneurs are important to creating jobs and prosperity in Europe; most politicians recognise that nowadays. But what’s less obvious is that when it comes to creating new businesses, sheer numbers don’t make for a dynamic economy.
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On 20 June 2007, a select group of leaders in European academia, industry and policy met at Imperial College London to discuss a problem fundamental to EU prosperity: How to encourage more high-growth entrepreneurs in Europe? These are men and women driven, not merely to seek self-employment, but to create world-class companies in technology, biopharma and other R&D-intensive fields. What’s needed, the panelists discussed, is a shift in policy from simply encouraging spin-out and start-up creation to creating the economic and regulatory environment needed to facilitate rapid growth. Subsequent discussions of the Science|Business Innovation Board will propose programmes to achieve this change, and to improve other aspects of EU innovation policy.
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