FACTORS NURTURING ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN TAIWAN

Abstract

Although academic research institutions have become a major player in protecting, transferring, and commercializing their knowledge base, little research has examined in enterprising research results from the angle of academic entrepreneurs. This paper examined the factors fostering academic entrepreneurship from institutional, organizational, and individual aspects, especially in Taiwan. Based on the Patent Database of the National Science Council, Taiwan, 474 academic entrepreneurs who owned patents were identified. Via a postal survey, 229 questionnaires were collected with an overall. response rate of 48%. Through factor analysis, five key success factors fostering academic entrepreneurship were identified. The key success factors to foster academic entrepreneurship in Taiwan include entrepreneurial network, organizational infrastructures, entrepreneurial legitimacy, entrepreneurial pro-activeness, and entrepreneurial rewards. Thus, the paper concluded that nurturing academic entrepreneurship in Taiwan is evidently shaped by not only micro factors such as entrepreneurial networks and characteristics but also macro factors such as entrepreneurial infrastructures and rewards from universities and increasing legitimacy of academic entrepreneurship.