A model for the educational needs of fisheries researchers in the field of developing fisheries entrepreneurship ecosystems: Based on quantitative and qualitative approaches

The main purpose of this research was to design a model that meets the educational needs of Iranian fisheries researchers in developing fisheries entrepreneurship ecosystems. In this research, educational needs were identified using a mixed research approach (qualitative-quantitative). In the first stage, semi-structured interviews and grounded theory were used to develop a model of fisheries researchers entrepreneurship education. The results indicated that casual conditions include coordination and communication challenges, applied research needed by the private sector, teaching general entrepreneurship skills, background conditions including the personal characteristics of researchers, the difficulties of carrying out organizational and research activities and financing challenges were intervening conditions. Supporting commercialization and establishing business acceleration centers, and presenting commercialization models as part of strategic conditions, promoting sustainable production and harvest, and recognizing the advantages of knowledge and income for researchers were identified as the positive effects of entrepreneurship education on Iranian fisheries researchers in the development of fisheries entrepreneurship ecosystems. In the quantitative section a questionnaire was compiled and given to a statistical sample which included researchers and faculty members of the Iranian Fisheries  Science Research Institute, Sampling was done through Cochran's formula (n=135). The identification of educational need items was accomplished through the employment of confirmatory factor analysis. Educational needs were categorized into seven components consist of 1) management and planning of applied research projects, 2) startup and entrepreneurship, 3) communication, 4) teamwork and networking, 5) fisheries Innovation ecosystem, 6) extension activities, principles and 7) rules and commercialization.