Entrepreneurship education logically teaches engineering students to be entrepreneurs, yet most will work for corporations with cultures, processes and organizations that are far different than those of small entrepreneurial organizations. If we are to prepare innovative engineers for the corporate world we must understand innovation and intrapreneurship in the corporate context. Four universities partnered on such a study as a step toward developing curriculum that prepares undergraduate engineers to be more effective innovators in corporations. They were joined by over a dozen companies, including BASF, Comcast, DuPont, Ford, IBM and Lockheed Martin; and the US Air Force. The team conducted in-depth visits focused on five areas: leadership, process, organization, culture and workspace. Through this process the team defined best practices and key inhibitor/enablers of innovation and intrapreneurship, and recommended competencies for future engineering innovators.
