Corporate Entrepreneurship in Academia: University Scientists’ Intentions to Commercialize Research

Abstract

The factors that potentially encourage or discourage entrepreneurial activity by university scientists in the form of commercialization activity have been the subject of numerous investigations. However, relatively little is known about the origins of the research commercialization process, whose emergence primarily rests on the intention of individual scientists to consider potential applications of their research and submit an invention disclosure filing. We use the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explain this intent in a sample of 1.686 scientists at nine technical universities in Germany (TU9). Results show that non-monetary factors like self-realization and network enhancement dominate in the formation of a positive attitude towards invention disclosure. In terms of influential peers, the university administration emerged somewhat surprisingly as the strongest influencer ahead of superiors and colleagues.