Makerspaces and Entrepreneurship
Makerspaces provide tools and equipment which can be useful for entrepreneurs pursuing their ideas, especially in the prototyping phase. For many entrepreneurs makerspaces provide an ideal place to not only prototype but also to network with others who may be able to contribute to the entrepreneur's vision.
Just as every entrepreneur is different, makerspaces differ in their audience and focus. The UMD community is fortunate to have more than twenty makerspaces and maker-related spaces on campus. Some makerspaces (such as the Singh Sandbox) are great places to learn how to use different tools and equipment. Others (such as several of Terrapin Works spaces) provide an opportunity to pay experts to do the fabrication for you.
We encourage entrepreneurs to visit make.umd.edu to see a map of campus spaces and to read our Impact Report which provides a broad overview of making on campus.
There is a great deal of literature about entrepreneurship and makerspaces. One example from the Entrepreneurship Research Journal is linked below:
The Relevance of Makerspaces for University-based Venture Development Organizations
Abstract
Research on university-based venture development organizations is important to better understand how universities can provide an environment promoting entrepreneurial activity. However, there is a new infrastructure potentially of great relevance to the entrepreneurial eco-system of universities: makerspaces. Makerspaces provide important support and resources that are known to promote learning, innovation and venturing activity. I highlight the characteristics and effects of makerspaces and point towards potential areas for future research. In concluding, it appears that makerspaces can be a valuable part of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in university-based venture development organizations.
Halbinger, Maria A.. "The Relevance of Makerspaces for University-based Venture Development Organizations" Entrepreneurship Research Journal, vol. 10, no. 2, 2020, pp. 20200049. https://doi.org/10.1515/erj-2020-0049