Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Scientist entrepreneurship across scientific fields

  • Published:
The Journal of Technology Transfer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Knowledge generated in universities can serve as an important base for the commercialization of innovation. One mechanism for commercialization is the creation of a new company by a scientist. We shed light on this process by examining the role of scientist characteristics, access to resources and key university conditions in driving the likelihood of a scientist to start a company. Our sample comprises 1,899 university scientists across six different scientific fields. We make a methodological contribution by using self-reported data from the scientists themselves, whereas most previous research relied on university or public data. Our consideration of six scientific fields is a substantive contribution and reveals that scientist startups are heterogeneous in nature. Our findings are largely consistent with extant research on the role of individual and university variables in scientist entrepreneurship; in addition, we uncover the novel finding that the type of research field is also a key driver of scientist startup activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The database used in this study comes from Small Business Administration (SBA) Report No. 409, and the project is funded under the contract SBAHQ-11-M-0212. The full report and research summary can be accessed at http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/7540/586391.

References

  • Acs, Z., Audretsch, D., & Lehmann, E. (2013). The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 41, 757–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, A., & Henderson, R. (2002). Putting patents in context: Exploring knowledge transfer from MIT. Management Science, 48(1), 44–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H., & Martinez, M. (2010). Entrepreneurship as social construction: A multilevel evolutionary approach. Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research (pp. 387–427). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Aldridge, T., & Audretsch, D. (2010). Does policy influence the commercialization route? Evidence from National Institutes of Health funded scientists. Research Policy, 39, 583–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldridge, T., & Audretsch, D. (2011). The Bayh-Dole act and scientist entrepreneurship. Research Policy, 40, 1058–1067.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arrow, K. (1962). The economic implications of learning by doing. The Review of Economic Studies, 29, 155–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Audretsch, D., Aldridge, T., & Nadella, V. (2013). University science faculty ventures into entrepreneurship, Report No. 409, Small Business Administration.

  • Audretsch, D., & Feldman, M. (1996). R&D spillovers and the geography of innovation and production. The American Economic Review, 86, 630–640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Audretsch, D., & Stephan, P. (2002) Knowledge spillovers in biotechnology: sources and incentives. In: Economic evolution, learning, and complexity, Physica, HD, pp. 127–137.

  • Bates, T. (1995). Self-employment entry across industry groups. Journal of Business Venturing, 10, 143–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonaccorsi, A., Colombo, M., Guerini, M., & Rossi-Lamastra, C. (2014). The impact of local and external university knowledge on the creation of knowledge-intensive firms: Evidence from the Italian case. Small Business Economics (forthcoming).

  • Davidsson, P., & Honig, B. (2003). The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 18, 301–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dosi, G. (1988). Sources, procedures, and microeconomic effects of innovation. Journal of Economic Literature, 26(3), 1120–1171.

  • Elston, J., & Audretsch, D. (2010). Risk attitudes, wealth and sources of entrepreneurial start-up capital. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 76, 82–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, D., & Leighton, L. (1989). Some empirical aspects of entrepreneurship. American Economic Review, 79, 519–535.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fryges, H., & Wright, M. (2014) The origin of spin-offs: A typology of corporate and academic spin-offs. Small Business Economics (forthcoming).

  • Glaeser, E., Kallal, H., Scheinkman, J., & Shleifer, A. (1992). Growth in cities. Journal of Political Economy, 100(6), 1126–1152.

  • Griliches, Z. (1979). Issues in assessing the contribution of R&D to productivity growth. Bell Journal of Economics, 10, 92–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griliches, Z. (1990). Patent statistics as economic indicators: A survey. Journal of Economic Literature, 28, 1661–1707.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, R., Jaffe, A., & Trajtenberg, M. (1998). Universities as a source of commercial technology: A detailed analysis of university patenting, 1965–1988. Review of Economics and Statistics, 80, 119–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henrekson, M., & Stenkula, M. (2010). Entrepreneurship and public policy. Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research (pp. 595–637). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jaffe, A. (1989). Real effects of academic research. American Economic Review, 79(5), 957–970.

  • Jaffe, A., Trajtenberg, M., & Henderson, R. (1993). Geographic localization of knowledge spillovers as evidenced by patent citations. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108, 577–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karlsson, C., & Karlsson, M. (2002). Economic policy, institutions and entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 19, 163–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karlsson, T., & Wigren, C. (2012). Start-ups among university employees: The influence of legitimacy, human capital and social capita. Journal of Technology Transfer, 37(3), 297–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, W., & Lincoln, W. (2010) The supply side of innovation: H-1B visa reforms and US ethnic invention, Number W15768, National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • Kerr, W., & Nanda, R. (2009). Democratizing entry: Banking deregulations, financing constraints, and entrepreneurship. Journal of Financial Economics, 94, 124–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawson, C. (2012). Academic patenting: The importance of industry support. Journal of Technology Transfer, 38(4), 509–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levin, S., & Stephan, P. (1991). Research productivity over the life cycle: Evidence for academic scientists. American Economic Review, 81(1), 114–132.

  • Link, A., & Scott, J. (2009). Private investor participation and commercialization rates for government-sponsored research and development: Would a prediction market improve the performance of the SBIR programme? Economica, 76, 264–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lockett, A., & Wright, M. (2005). Resources, capabilities, risk capital and the creation of university spin-out companies. Research Policy, 34, 1043–1057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Louis, K., Blumenthal, D., Gluck, M., & Stoto, M. (1989). Entrepreneurs in academe: An exploration of behaviors among life scientists. Administrative Science Quarterly, 34, 110–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markman, G., Gianiodis, P., & Phan, P. (2008). Full-time faculty or part-time entrepreneurs. IEEE Transactions, 55, 29–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minniti, M., & Nardone, C. (2007). Being in someone else’s shoes: The role of gender in nascent entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 28, 223–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosey, S., & Wright, M. (2007). From human capital to social capital: A longitudinal study of technology-based academic entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 31, 909–935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mowery, D. (2005). The Bayh-Dole Act and high-technology entrepreneurship in US universities: Chicken, egg, or something else? Advances in the Study of Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Economic Growth, 16, 39–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Economic Council (NEA) (2011) A strategy for American innovation: Security our economic growth and prosperity. Council of economic advisors, office of science and technology policy, The White House: Washington, DC, February; available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/InnovationStrategy.pdf; date last accessed: June 15, 2013.

  • Nelson, R. (1959). The simple economics of basic scientific research. Journal of Political Economy, 67, 297–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Shea, R., Allen, T., Chevalier, A., & Roche, F. (2005). Entrepreneurial orientation, technology transfer and spinoff performance of US universities. Research Policy, 34(7), 994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pakes, A., & Griliches, Z. (1980). Patents and R&D at the firm level: A first report. Economics Letters, 5, 377–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, P., Carter, N., Gartner, W., & Greene, P. (2004). The prevalence of nascent entrepreneurs in the United States: Evidence from the panel study of entrepreneurial dynamics. Small Business Economics, 23, 263–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shane, S., & Stuart, T. (2002). Organizational endowments and the performance of university start-ups. Management Science, 48, 154–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thursby, J., & Thursby, M. (2002). Who is selling the ivory tower? Sources of growth in university licensing. Management Science, 48, 90–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Our paper uses data collected and presented in Small Business Administration Report # 409, funded under the contract SBAHQ-11-M-0212. SBA Report #409 can be accessed at http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/7540/586391.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute for Regional Development & Structural Planning, Flaksenstraße 28-31, 15537, Erkner, Germany

    T. Taylor Aldridge

  2. School of Public & Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 1315 E. 10th Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    David Audretsch, Sameeksha Desai & Venkata Nadella

Authors
  1. T. Taylor Aldridge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Audretsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sameeksha Desai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Venkata Nadella
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sameeksha Desai.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Aldridge, T.T., Audretsch, D., Desai, S. et al. Scientist entrepreneurship across scientific fields. J Technol Transf 39, 819–835 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-014-9339-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-014-9339-x

Keywords

JEL Classification

Search

Navigation