Developing entrepreneurial competences in biotechnology early career researchers to support long-term entrepreneurial career outcomes

•A short-term, competition-based, entrepreneurship education intervention assists entrepreneurial competence development.•Participants attribute long-term entrepreneurial/commercialisation outcomes to this short-term STEE intervention.•Pedagogical approach, activities and delivery for effective entrepreneurship education, tailored for STEM sector, outlined. This paper explores how early career biotechnology researchers develop entrepreneurial competences through participation in a bespoke entrepreneurship education competition and whether this affects their longer-term entrepreneurial actions. Specifically, we discuss the pedagogy and evaluate the short- and long-term impact of a long-running entrepreneurship competition, where biotechnology doctoral and postdoctoral researchers address societal and environmental challenges through hypothetical new venture creation. We present evidence regarding the efficacy of this experiential education, where online mentoring is blended with a team-based residential competition utilising inspirational speakers, practitioner support and peer learning in encouraging ECRs to consider commercialising their research. We conclude that long-term entrepreneurial career outcomes can be fostered through tailored short-term interventions.