The Roles of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Supporting Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Developing Countries: Evidence from Oman

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether innovation and entrepreneurship activities are being adopted by higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries and specifically in Oman. It aims to explore the entrepreneurial ecosystem at HEIs and understand the support and challenges facing those institutions in order to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and to spill-over of knowledge from universities’ campus to the market. Design/Methodology/Approach: A combination of semi-structured and in-depth interviews was used to gather the data, and one-sample and independent-sample t-tests were used to analyse the data. The study’s results confirmed that all variables contributed to enhancing entrepreneurship and innovation activities in HEIs. Findings: This study’s results confirmed that all variables contributed to enhancing entrepreneurship and innovation activities in HEIs. However, the findings reveal that HEIs failed to support some activities regarding access to finance, programmes and support activities, and policies and guidelines for promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in their education system. Research Limitations/Implications: The findings of this study can be used as a map plan for universities in developing countries to provide the necessary actions to support innovation and entrepreneurship activities. HEIs can utilise the findings of this research to collaborate with external parties to facilitate students’ commercialisation to the market. Originality/Value: This study fills the knowledge gap by exploring the entrepreneurial ecosystem components in developing countries and enabling a better understanding of the challenges faced by innovation and entrepreneurial activities. Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Innovation; Higher Educational Institutions; Entrepreneurial Ecosystem; Oman. Citation: Al Shukaili, A., Mohd Kassim, N., Al Alawi, A., Al Kindi, K.S.A., Khairnnas, R. and Al-Riyami, S. (2025): The Roles of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Supporting Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Developing Countries: Evidence from Oman. World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp.19-45.