Sourcing Upstream or Downstream? Exploring Knowledge-based Antecedents of Academic Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer

18/05/2017 to 19/05/2017
The 11th Workshop on THE ORGANISATION, ECONOMICS AND POLICY OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Entrepreneurship research suggests that information asymmetries and idiosyncratic prior knowledge are at the heart of the individual capacity to identify and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities. We draw on this literature to propose two contrasting knowledge-based antecedents of academic entrepreneurship: ‘upstream knowledge sources’, which refer to insights for commercial opportunities gained as a result of outstanding scientific contributions; and ‘downstream knowledge sources’, which refer to knowledge gained through direct interactions with potential research beneficiaries. We find that both upstream and downstream sources are strongly associated to entrepreneurial behaviour among academics. These results suggest that multiple pathways to entrepreneurship co-exist within the academic context: ‘start scientists’, ‘engaged scientists’, and ‘bridging scientists’. Additionally, we examine the influence of a supportive organisational environment on academic entrepreneurship, showing that organisational support enhances entrepreneurial behaviour among those scientists who exhibit comparatively lower levels of scientific performance. These results have theoretical and managerial implications for the entrepreneurship literature.
Torino (Italy)
Mabel Sánchez-Barrioluengo; Pablo D’Este; Irene Ramos-Vielba; Oscar Llopis; Alfredo Yegros