The conflictual sense of commercialisation and academic entrepreneurship

Abstract

This article draws attention to how scientists make sense of commercialisation activities at the university. Using the critical sensemaking lens (CSM), it illustrates how the juxtaposition of the dominant discourse of academic research and the emerging discourse of commercialisation in academic work (re)produces a tensioned and conflictual sense of commercialisation and academic entrepreneurship (AE). The article is based on empirical data gathered from a two-year study of scientists working on a project that included both research and commercialisation activities. The contribution of this article is twofold; it argues that commercialisation is not only about organising and funding, but also about power dynamics and it demonstrates how hybrid projects that aim to integrate research with commercialisation activities offer rich data for the researchers of AE.