Jakarta/Paris/New York, 17 October 2023: The development of entrepreneurial skills and mindset is crucial for startups, entrepreneurs, and, more generally, for the advancement of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. In collaboration with the OECD Platform for Entrepreneurship Education Collaboration and Engagement Network (EECOLE), ERIA has launched a new short webinar series to discuss the role of skills and higher education in the development of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. This short webinar series, taking place during October and November, serves as preparation for the 2023 OECD EECOLE Roundtable, which will be held in Toronto later in November with the support of ERIA and in partnership with Canadian institutions.

The inaugural episode of the webinar series featured Dr Fernando Gomez-Baquero, Director of Runaway and Spinouts at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute in New York, a part of Cornell Tech, a leading higher education institution in New York City that has made significant contributions to the development of innovation and new ventures in the city. Dr Gomez-Baquero shared insights about Cornell's role in New York's innovation ecosystems and good practices that can be replicated, adapted, and contextualised in developed, high-growth, and emerging innovation ecosystems worldwide. The webinar was hosted by Dr Raffaele Trapasso, Senior Economist at the OECD and Leader of the EECOLE Initiative, and Dr Giulia Ajmone Marsan, ERIA's Director for Strategy and Partnership and a Member of the Steering Group of EECOLE. Ms Maria Sobron Bernal, Policy Analyst at the OECD, moderated the Q&A session.