Taking scientific inventions to market: Mapping the academic entrepreneurship ecosystem

Abstract

The active contribution of academic institutions to the technological, social and economic development of societies is of increasing importance. To better understand this contribution, we present a systematic review, together with bibliometric and network analyses of the academic entrepreneurship literature. This provides a map of the main topics approached by scholars, thereby illustrating the scientific scenario of the field. Our findings identify three highly interconnected research activity domains that characterize the multidimensional features of entrepreneurship in the academic setting, as well as a significant gap in the literature regarding studies evaluating approaches to support the navigation of potential scientific discoveries to the market. We organize our findings into a four stages framework consisting of: idea inception; the recognition of how this idea unlocks value for customers and other stakeholders; development of an innovative business model; and a commercialization strategy that creates real impact. We discuss the relevance of each stage for the establishment of a more innovation-friendly environment and conclude by offering perspectives into future research opportunities and by encouraging studies that consider the academic entrepreneurship process from a systemic perspective, to support a greater contribution of academic institutions to the economic and social development of the nations and societies.

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