Esposito, PieroFerrante, FrancescoScicchitano, Sergio2025-04-102025-04-102025Esposito, Piero, Francesco Ferrante, and Sergio Scicchitano. “Human Capital and R&d: Unlocking Innovative Entrepreneurship through Heis in Italy.” In Proceedings of the Third International Conference of the Journal Scuola Democratica. Education and/for Social Justice. Vol. 1: Inequality, Inclusion, and Governance, edited by Scuola democratica, 127–37. Associazione “Per Scuola Democratica.” 2025.https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14490/960Open AccessHigher Education Institutions (HEIs) are central to fostering innovative entrepreneurship and regional development by increasing human capital and facilitating knowledge transfer through R&D. This paper explores the interplay between graduate supply and R&D in driving innovative startup creation across Italian provinces (2015–2021). The findings highlight a synergy between these factors: public R&D boosts graduate impact in the South, while university R&D complements the dense graduate presence in the North. These dynamics call for tailored strategies to optimize HEIs’ roles as engines of economic growth, particularly in lagging regions.enPublisher's specific open access license.InnovationNew business enterprisesEntrepreneurshipUniversities and collegesBook chapter