The entrepreneurship skills that biotechnology graduates need: findings from entrepreneurial employees in a developing economy

Abstract

Biotechnology is a focus for many developing countries, but educators are grappling with the problem of how to prepare graduates for entrepreneurial biotechnology employment in these environments. This study addresses this problem by examining entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship skills from the perspective of employees in the Malaysian biotechnology industry. Twelve biotechnology and science graduates who work for biotechnology-related industry and academic employers in Malaysia were interviewed. We asked how they define entrepreneurship and what entrepreneurship skills best support their work and their identification of entrepreneurial opportunities. The employees had a multi-faceted understanding of how they work entrepreneurially within their organizations, and they identified multiple skills and attributes that contribute to their entrepreneurial activity. This pilot study provides new information about the entrepreneurship skills that biotechnology employees see as valuable for their work in the service of their employing organizations. As a result, educators will be better able to design entrepreneurship training programs in science and biotechnology that are relevant to graduate employment needs. Although Malaysia, a developing economy, is used as a context for the study, this work has broader implications. We anticipate these findings will be useful for educators and policymakers worldwide who have an interest in designing and delivering biotechnology entrepreneurial learning programs that help students prepare for employment.