에너지 전문인재양성 프로그램이 대학원생 창업에 미친 영향: 전남 지역 대학원생의 창업 성과 사례를 중심으로

This study examines how the Energy Human Resource Development Program influenced the entrepreneurial process and outcomes of a graduate student in the Jeonnam region, focusing on a regional startup. Given the limited regional energy-related startup cases, a qualitative single-case approach was employed to explore how the program’s educational and research activities contributed to entrepreneurial competency and the startup process. Findings show that program activities—such as university–industry R&D, field training, expert mentoring, and industry-linked courses—enhanced technological expertise, problem-solving, networking, and the use of external resources, playing a key role throughout the entrepreneurial process from idea generation to commercialization, market entry, and growth. The participant’s program experience, together with personal capabilities, university–industry networks, institutional support, and the regional industrial environment, shaped entrepreneurial outcomes and sustainability, while collaboration with academic advisors and industry experts facilitated technology transfer, patent acquisition, and government-supported projects, promoting entrepreneurial success. Although limited to a single case, this study provides foundational data on the operational framework and effects of human resource development programs on regional energy-related startups and offers empirical evidence for developing future program models and strategies to build regional entrepreneurial ecosystems, highlighting its academic and policy significance.