Supporting the Innovative Entrepreneurs in Turkish Universities

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Research Problem
Purpose of Study
Significance
Research Questions
Objectives
Literature Review
Methodology
References

Abstract

This proposal addresses the problem of having no existent ecosystem supporting the graduation projects of refugee university students in Turkey and the lack of investors that could assist students in converting their projects into entrepreneurship. Therefore, the proposed study strives to create a comprehensive entrepreneur graduation projects support network, which will provide educational and financial means for refugee youth to pursue sustainable development projects. A comprehensive literature review supports this initiative, identifying a gap in knowledge about support networks. Lastly, this proposal describes how the study will be conducted, outlining qualitative research methods and the focus group.

Research Problem

The problem that this research will seek to address is bifold in nature. Firstly, no established network at the moment could help determine and effectively meet the needs for investment in the graduation projects of refugee university students in Turkey. Secondly, a process to convert graduation projects into pioneering entrepreneurship must be developed to contribute to students’ professional future and provide them with investment opportunities.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this study is to create a multifaceted entrepreneur graduate projects ecosystem, which aims to empower youth by encouraging and supporting their sustainable development projects. The structural elements of this ecosystem, which this study will address, include design, formal and informal organization, and technology needed to support the projects. Creating such a system would allow for a valuable investment of the student capital, establishing a profitable collaboration between refugee youth and the Turkish government.

Significance

This study’s significance lies in the growing need to support the new generation of innovative entrepreneurs in Turkish universities who can design superb sustainable business initiatives. Nevertheless, there is currently a limited support network available to those students who have come to Turkey as refugees. Therefore, an ecosystem for student start-ups is required to enable refugee students to launch successful graduation projects within their specializations.

The proposed study will offer a powerful set of guidelines for organizing business matters for students. The ecosystem designed by this research will provide a stimulating environment for university students to devise strong ideas for their graduation projects, which could then manifest a competitive job opportunity. Applying the study guidelines will help protect graduate students from falling into disguised unemployment, exploitation, or even complete unemployment.

The study will offer advice on how and where it would be best to invest the student capital in the national economy for the governmental entities. It will outline the strategies the government could implement to ensure that these businesses are useful to the young entrepreneurs and the national welfare. Furthermore, this project will demonstrate to the administration how much investment will create additional job opportunities and increase economic development.

Through grants, investments, and supporting loans, subsidizing refugee business initiatives creates tangible job opportunities. Thus, it allows the refugees to obtain an independent income and forgo poverty while contributing positively to the national economy. Additionally, governmental support for the new entrepreneurs contributes to alleviating the complications resulting from the unemployed population of asylum-seekers. The study will also develop proposals for investors that build integrative and cooperative education bridges between the labor market and academia. Overall, the proposed study will underline the importance of holistic support in stimulating a student entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Research Questions

Main Question

The creation of graduate projects requires multiple levels of knowledge in students’ respective specialization and ways to navigate the integration into the national economy. Therefore, entrepreneurial support ecosystems should involve multi-level processes, stakeholders, multiple actors, and multiple contexts. Thus, the proposed study will address the major question: what do refugee students require to create graduate projects that build entrepreneurial job opportunities within their specializations?

Sub-Questions

To answer the main question, the sub-questions are proposed:

What is the graduation projects ecosystem in the Turkish universities that refugee students attend, and what is the role of each participating party in this ecosystem?
What are the students’ academic and training needs?
What are the students’ economic needs?
What are the students’ specialized needs?
What are the students’ personal needs and psychological needs?
How can these needs be met? Moreover, which party is responsible for providing for these needs?

Objectives

Explore the work environment of refugee students’ graduation projects and design the appropriate support ecosystem.
Determine students’ requirements for graduate projects that they can subsequently convert into new businesses.
Come up with the guidelines that facilitate the creation of such graduation projects that can be invested in as entrepreneurship.
Develop an investment system and strategy to support such projects for refugee university students in Turkey.

Literature Review

This review seeks to address the lack of a comprehensive support ecosystem targeted at the refugee student entrepreneurs in Turkey. The proposed study aims to create such a system, investigating the required elements based on the prior research in this area and the responses collected from the focus group of students. This review will assess the situation with entrepreneurial education in Turkey, ponder the emerging role of refugees in the Turkish economy, and discuss the present state of business support networks for graduate students.

A major challenge that the education field faces is refugees’ integration. Several researchers argue overcoming the challenges of refugees’ integration necessitates the creation of self-sufficient community members (Khushman, 2020; Anholt, 2020). In the context of global instability, entrepreneurship could be the key to sustainable socio-economic empowerment of the youth (Rashid, 2019, Anholt, 2020). Rashid (2019) identifies that entrepreneurship can reduce poverty, stimulate the economy, foster innovation, and increase social and environmental sustainability. It is often assumed that entrepreneurship education and training (EET) is directly linked to sustainable development (Rashid, 2019; Arpat, Yeşi̇l & Kocaalan, 2019). However, several obstacles are in the way of EET: lack of funding, political tensions, lack of identity documents or academic certificates for university admission, and refugees’ insufficient language skills (Kamyab, 2017; Hohberger, 2018; Erdoğan, 2019). This study will suggest, among others, ways to combat some of these challenges in the context of graduate projects.

Turkish current educational system sustains a large number of refugee students. Between all the Turkish universities, over 15,000 Syrian refugees were enrolled in 2016/2017 academic year, numbers increasing dramatically since 2013/2014 (Ertong, Attar & Küçükşen, 2019, Hohberger, 2018). Pasquini (2018) recites that the number of scholarships for Syrian students has increased, but proportionally there has not been much improvement. In 2014, roughly half of 5,500 enrolled Syrian students received government scholarships for undergraduate, graduate, and associate degrees and language courses (Yavcan & El-Ghali, 2017). An estimated one-third of the 15,000 students in 2016/2017 studied with a scholarship (Hohberger, 2018). Overall, a limited amount of scholarships for a large pool of applicants restricts education access.

The supporting network must consider both financial and educational means of helping students. EET, in general, is considered a stimulating element of entrepreneurial intentions and behavior (Paço, Ferreira & Raposo, 2017; Arpat et al., 2019). However, the entrepreneurship courses are often designed with the theoretical approach, seldom having any feedback from the real business realm (Paço et al., 2017). Genç, Sesen, and Soran’s (2020) analysis of Turkish universities’ public plans showed that most institutions did not have entrepreneurial university features, but they had a strong intention and desire for a transformation in this direction. These findings indicate that the recommendations of the proposed study would be taken seriously and could receive institutional support across Turkey.

There are limited accounts of entrepreneurial ecosystems, which are not specific to the Turkish and refugee students’ context. Within the university environment, Wright, Siegel, and Mustar (2017) identified some generalized sources of support: corporates, public agencies, regional actors, alumni, departments, and others. Wright et al. (2017) also list potential investors: government grants, university seed funds, crowdfunding, and private investors. Arpat et al. (2019) discuss Turkish institutions supporting government grants and incentives available for entrepreneurs. However, it is unclear how many listed grants and institutions are citizen-specific. Hohberger (2018) found that certain universities can serve as models for implementing support mechanisms. However, Beyhan and Findik (2018) highlight that there currently is not enough reliable data for fostering non-technological entrepreneurship in Turkish universities. These findings on lack of data stress the importance of the proposed study once again.

Another potential contributor to the organization of EET in Turkey may be non-governmental organizations (NSAs) and non-state actors (NGOs). Sever and Özerim (2019) list NSAs actively involved in refugee management by complementing state-centered efforts. Sengupta and Kapur (2018) discussed NGOs’ assistance in providing internships and training through educational camps. However, Pascucci (2019) identifies a disconnect between the narrative of camp success and the life experiences of young refugees in search of decent work. A university-attained education remains crucial in creating truly independent young entrepreneurs (Hohberger, 2018; Aydin & Kaya, 2019). However, the proposed study needs to consider all potential sources of student support.

Turkish economy may present certain challenges to refugee entrepreneurs, although it is not an overall hostile environment. Toycan and Erkut (2021) emphasize the stable share of job creators among the active Turkish population. Fittingly, many Syrian refugees worldwide strongly desire to develop businesses (Mawson & Kasem, 2019). Kachkar (2019) indicated that over 80% of surveyed Syrians in Turkish refugee camps wanted to participate in microentrepreneurship, with approximately 25% having already. Successful refugee entrepreneurs were characterized by perseverance, efficiency, innovativeness, previous experience, adequate barrier perception, and the resources to implement projects (Almohammad, Durrah, & Rashid, 2021; Welsh, Othman, & Ramadani, 2021). Shinnar and Zamantili Nayir (2019) suggest that an emerging economy of Turkey may benefit the initial emergence of immigrant entrepreneurs. However, further integration of Syrian businesses in the economy may be constrained due to the lack of legal protection, trade limitations, and Turkish defensive strategies to keep enterprises small (Atasü-Topcuoğlu, 2019). These findings highlight the importance of creating a support network that could help the refugee youth navigate the transition of their university projects into the real world.

To conclude, this review recites the importance of EET in creating independent refugee businesses, reviews major challenges of integration, looks at other support ecosystems, and goes over present Turkish efforts to educate refugee youth. Current literature focused mostly on refugee education in general or on refugee entrepreneurship in Turkey, but there is little comprehensive information on both. However, there remains a gap in existing knowledge on creating holistic support ecosystems for entrepreneurial refugee students in Turkish institutions. Overall, the literature review supports that the proposed study will be an essential contribution to the future of the refugee community in Turkey.

Methodology

Research Design

This study will be conducted qualitatively, with the selected design of participatory action research (PAR) for the refugee student group in Turkey. It will embrace the collaboration between the study participants and the researcher: determining the problem, research methods, and study results. Students will participate in semi-structured interviews and complete surveys to give their opinions of what they deem the facilitators and barriers to executing the support ecosystem. Such an approach will ensure continuous feedback to create and improve the assistance network, allowing concrete steps to its implementation.

Sample/Population

This study will select a focus group of student volunteers from Turkish universities. The students must meet the following criteria: attending entrepreneurial university courses, having a robust plan, with steps potentially taken, for starting their business, having been forcefully displaced from their respective place of origin. The chosen participants will then become key informants for investigating the optimal conditions for refugee students’ graduation projects in different Turkish educational facilities.

Instruments and Procedure

This study will employ design thinking tools to outline each research step and devise needed methods. It will begin by understanding the students’ needs, then reframing the issue, focusing on the target group, creating several ideas of approaching it, adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping, and developing a solution. Prior experience supporting entrepreneurial education and further initiatives will be reviewed by referencing primary research in libraries and electronic periodicals. Some of the research is referenced in the literature review section of this proposal. The essential primary data collection instruments will be surveying platforms, questionnaires, and interviews. As a first step, a questionnaire will be distributed to students to explore their specific requirements for support, as well as their intended specialization. The collected data will then be analyzed for patterns and recurring themes; effective guidelines will be based on the found patterns.

References

Almohammad, D., Durrah, O., Alkhalaf, T., & Rashid, M. (2021). Entrepreneurship in crisis: The determinants of Syrian refugees’ entrepreneurial intentions in Turkey. Sustainability, 13(15), 8602.

Anholt, R. (2020). Resilience in practice: Responding to the refugee crisis in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.Politics and Governance, 8(4), 294–305.

Arpat, B., Yeşi̇l, Y., & Kocaalan, M. L. (2019). A longitudinal study on the effect of entrepreneurship courses taught at the vocational colleges in Turkey on students’ entrepreneurial tendency. Eastern Journal of European Studies, 10(2), 127–162.

Atasü-Topcuoğlu, R. (2019). Syrian refugee entrepreneurship in Turkey: Integration and the use of immigrant capital in the informal economy.Social Inclusion, 7(4), 200–210.

Aydin, H., & Kaya, Y. (2019). Education for Syrian refugees: The new global issue facing teachers and principals in Turkey. Educational Studies, 55(1), 46–71.

Beyhan, B., & Findik, D. (2018). Student and graduate entrepreneurship: Ambidextrous universities create more nascent entrepreneurs. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 43(5), 1346–1374.

Erdoğan, M. M. (2019). Syrian refugees in Turkey (p. 28). Turkish-German University.

Ertong Attar, G., & Küçükşen, D. (2019). Somehow familiar but still a stranger: Syrian students in Turkish higher education. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 20(4), 1041–1053.

Genç, S. Y., Sesen, H., Castanho, R. A., Kirikkaleli, D., & Soran, S. (2020). Transforming Turkish universities to entrepreneurial universities for sustainability: From strategy to practice. Sustainability, 12(4), 1496.

Hohberger, W. (2018). Opportunities in higher education for Syrians in Turkey: The perspective of Syrian university students on the educational conditions, needs and possible solutions for improvement. Istanbul Policy Center.

Kachkar, O. A. (2019). Refugee Entrepreneurship: Empirical quantitative evidence on microenterprises in refugee camps in Turkey. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 17(3), 333–352.

Kamyab, S. (2017). Syrian refugees higher education crisis. Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 9(Winter), 10–14.

Khushman, A. S. (2020). The enabling and blocking factors which affect the engagement of the refugees in the labour market in the hosting countries. Journal of Identity and Migration Studies, 14(2), 25-40,169.

Mawson, S., & Kasem, L. (2019). Exploring the entrepreneurial intentions of Syrian refugees in the UK.International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 25(5), 1128–1146.

Paço, A., Ferreira, J., & Raposo, M. (2017). How to foster young scientists’ entrepreneurial spirit? International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 21(1), 47–60.

Pascucci, E. (2019). Refugees in the IT sector: Young Syrians’ economic subjectivities and familial lives in Jordan. Geographical Review, 109(4), 580–597.

Pasquini, E. (2018). Educational opportunities for displaced Syrians. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 37(1), 64–66.

Rashid, L. (2019). Entrepreneurship education and sustainable development goals: A literature review and a closer look at fragile states and technology-enabled approaches.Sustainability, 11(19), 5343.

Sengupta, E., & Kapur, V. (2018). Entrepreneurship education to create livelihood among refugees and internally displaced people in the camps of Kurdistan. In E. Sengupta & P. Blessinger (Eds.), Strategies, Policies, and Directions for Refugee Education (Vol. 13, pp. 235–248). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Sever, B. C., & Özerim, M. G. (2019). The role of non-state actors (NSAs) regarding Syrian refugees in Mersin, Turkey. Migration Letters, 16(3), 463–471. Web.

Shinnar, R. S., & Zamantili Nayir, D. (2019). Immigrant entrepreneurship in an emerging economy: The case of Turkey. Journal of Small Business Management, 57(2), 559–575.

Toycan, M., & Erkut, B. (2021). Entrepreneurial activity in Turkey: A statistical overview for the years of 2006-2020. International Entrepreneurship Review, 7(4), 23–33.

Welsh, D. H. B., Othman, D., Alserhan, B., Zeqiri, J., Al-Madadha, A., & Ramadani, V. (2021). The impact of the international crisis on the entrepreneurial intentions of refugees.International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print).

Wright, M., Siegel, D. S., & Mustar, P. (2017). An emerging ecosystem for student start-ups. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 42(4), 909–922.

Yavcan, B., & El-Ghali, H. A. (2017). Higher education and Syrian refugee students: The case of Turkey. Policies, practices, and perspectives. (p. 57). UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States, e Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut.

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