Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 24 ISSUE 4
Written by Mariana DOGA-MIRZAC, Viorica ATAMAN, Valeriu MIRZAC

The university business incubators represent an opportunity for students to learn and initiate small businesses through which they can materialize their innovative ideas. The incubator is a beneficial environment to integrate the knowledge of the faculty, institutional academic support, and the innovative enthusiasm of young entrepreneurs. Through this work, we aimed to investigate the willingness of universities to create and develop such incubators, the extent to which university openness aligns with state objectives in this field, and whether they are in line with the "Education 2030" development strategy. We also emphasized that any incubator must start with the idea that it is also a indirect profit centre; thus, all activities must be efficiently managed in terms of administration, marketing, and finance. Visibility and awareness of these incubator opportunities by students and teachers are crucial so that they can capitalize on their potential. In this value chain, there are also numerous challenges, which we highlighted in this study. Challenges that discourage potential companies proposed for incubation are due to students' poor knowledge of entrepreneurship, as well as ambiguous legislation and discouraging financing possibilities. Research from various states has shown that novice and recently established entrepreneurs are vulnerable to failure and bankruptcy, considering the current economic and financial policy situation. This phenomenon occurs because entrepreneurs starting a business lack experience and business skills, affected by various factors that make them more vulnerable to challenges during their activities.

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