Conceptualizing academic entrepreneurship ecosystems: a review, analysis and extension of the literature

Policy-related discussions increasingly view universities as so-called “engines of economic growth”. Recognizing that the economic impact of universities is dependent, at least in part, on the success of university-affiliated entrepreneurial ventures, this paper reviews the extant literature to unde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of technology transfer 2018-08, Vol.43 (4), p.1039-1082
Main Authors: Hayter, Christopher S., Nelson, Andrew J., Zayed, Stephanie, O’Connor, Alan C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business and Management
Commercial Law
Economic development
Economic Growth
Economic impact
Economics
Ecosystems
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship
Impact analysis
Industrial Organization
Innovation/Technology Management
Management
Technology transfer
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Summary:Policy-related discussions increasingly view universities as so-called “engines of economic growth”. Recognizing that the economic impact of universities is dependent, at least in part, on the success of university-affiliated entrepreneurial ventures, this paper reviews the extant literature to understand how academic entrepreneurship is conceptualized and the extent to which it adopts an ecosystem approach. We find that scholars have largely focused on individual ecosystem elements and characteristics, eschewing strategic and systemic conceptualizations of entrepreneurship ecosystems. As a result, we argue that the ecosystem perspective has not been fully leveraged to influence policy decisions. We conclude by offering several concrete recommendations on future research directions that, if pursued, would further enhance our understanding of the economic impact of universities.
ISSN:0892-9912
0892-9912
1573-7047
DOI:10.1007/s10961-018-9657-5