diff --git a/docker/db.entities.yml b/docker/db.entities.yml
index 3d4831e151..818d14877c 100644
--- a/docker/db.entities.yml
+++ b/docker/db.entities.yml
@@ -20,4 +20,32 @@ services:
     environment:
       # This LOADSQL should be kept in sync with the URL in DSpace/DSpace
       # This SQL is available from https://github.com/DSpace-Labs/AIP-Files/releases/tag/demo-entities-data
-      - LOADSQL=https://github.com/DSpace-Labs/AIP-Files/releases/download/demo-entities-data/dspace7-entities-2021-04-14.sql
\ No newline at end of file
+      - LOADSQL=https://github.com/DSpace-Labs/AIP-Files/releases/download/demo-entities-data/dspace7-entities-2021-04-14.sql
+  dspace:
+    ### OVERRIDE default 'entrypoint' in 'docker-compose-rest.yml' ####
+    # Ensure that the database is ready BEFORE starting tomcat
+    # 1. While a TCP connection to dspacedb port 5432 is not available, continue to sleep
+    # 2. Then, run database migration to init database tables
+    # 3. (Custom for Entities) enable Entity-specific collection submission mappings in item-submission.xml
+    #    This 'sed' command inserts the sample configurations specific to the Entities data set, see:
+    #    https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/blob/main/dspace/config/item-submission.xml#L36-L49
+    # 4. Finally, start Tomcat
+    entrypoint:
+      - /bin/bash
+      - '-c'
+      - |
+        while (!</dev/tcp/dspacedb/5432) > /dev/null 2>&1; do sleep 1; done;
+        /dspace/bin/dspace database migrate
+        sed -i '/name-map collection-handle="default".*/a \\n <name-map collection-handle="123456789/3" submission-name="Publication"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/4" submission-name="Publication"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/281" submission-name="Publication"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/5" submission-name="Publication"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/8" submission-name="OrgUnit"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/6" submission-name="Person"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/279" submission-name="Person"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/7" submission-name="Project"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/280" submission-name="Project"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/28" submission-name="Journal"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/29" submission-name="JournalVolume"/> \
+          <name-map collection-handle="123456789/30" submission-name="JournalIssue"/>' /dspace/config/item-submission.xml
+        catalina.sh run
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose-ci.yml b/docker/docker-compose-ci.yml
index 760b558322..d2d02f0a55 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose-ci.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose-ci.yml
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ services:
     container_name: dspacesolr
     # Uses official Solr image at https://hub.docker.com/_/solr/
     image: solr:8.8
+    # Needs main 'dspace' container to start first to guarantee access to solr_configs
+    depends_on:
+    - dspace
     networks:
       dspacenet:
     ports:
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose-rest.yml b/docker/docker-compose-rest.yml
index 7188768e14..c99e469941 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose-rest.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose-rest.yml
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@ services:
     container_name: dspacesolr
     # Uses official Solr image at https://hub.docker.com/_/solr/
     image: solr:8.8
+    # Needs main 'dspace' container to start first to guarantee access to solr_configs
+    depends_on:
+    - dspace
     networks:
       dspacenet:
     ports: