The chief executive of Enterprise North East Trust (Enterprise) has visited the world’s top-ranked university in his drive to establish Aberdeen as a global centre of excellence in fostering knowledge-based entrepreneurship.
Gary McEwan, of Enterprise, which offers a range of services for new and growing businesses across the north-east, recently travelled to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston to meet representatives of its world-renowned Centre for Entrepreneurship.
In the six years up to 2006, MIT graduates started more than 5,800 companies and, according to a recent study, its alumni account for annual combined revenue of about $2trillion. Notable former students include astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and 78 Nobel Prize-winners.
Mr McEwan also visited Boston’s Babson College, recently ranked number one for Entrepreneurship by US News and World Report, and spent the day with the Economic Development Department at Boston City Council.
The trip was designed to observe internationally recognised best practice and drive Enterprise’s ambitions to make the Aberdeen a centre of excellence for developing entrepreneurship.
The organisation has already started discussions with partner organisations over how to make its vision become a reality.
Enterprise works across the north-east and Tayside to help facilitate the start-up and growth of new and existing businesses. Enterprise assists about 1,000 Grampian-based organisations every year with start-up support, and almost 250 for guidance on business growth.
Mr McEwan said: “A big part of my role is ensuring that Enterprise has a clear vision and ambition to create leading entrepreneurial environments and I firmly believe that looking beyond Scotland for inspiration is crucial.
“Witnessing first hand how things are done in Boston, particularly within MIT, was very informative and I have taken great inspiration from my trip.
“My visit not only reinforced how important it is to have a clear strategy for fostering entrepreneurship and enterprising behaviour in our future generations, but it also showed me that educational institutions, the private sector and local authorities across the north-east have a key role to play.
“Indeed, it is hugely encouraging that early discussions to establish Aberdeen as a centre of excellence are already under way as this is an important step towards our ambition.
“Ultimately, Scotland needs to create more entrepreneurs. These are people who will go on to build companies, become future employers and contribute to the growth of their local and national economies in the future.”