The influence of ten different motivational factors on academic entrepreneurial intentions

Understanding what motivates academics to be involved in entrepreneurial activities could be crucial in technology transfer from academic organizations to industry. Using a data set of 547 academics employed at two different universities (University of Cambridge and University of Ljubljana), this study investigates (using multi-sample analysis and structural equation modeling) the impact of ten different motivational factors as predictors of academic entrepreneurial intentions. The following ten motivational factors were studied: (1) dissatisfaction with the academic environment, (2) desire for independence, (3) desire for safe and permanent employment, (4) desire for taking on and meeting broader responsibilities, (5) desire for wealth, (6) desire to bring technology into practice, (7) desire to disseminate findings through the scientific literature, (8) desire to do something others could not, (9) desire to pursue technological perfection, and (10) desire to secure additional research funding. The study´s results show that desire for safe and permanent employment and desire to disseminate findings through the scientific literature have a negative significant influence on academic entrepreneurial intentions, while desire for independence, desire for taking on and meeting broader responsibilities, desire for wealth, and desire to bring technology to practice have a positive significant influence on academic entrepreneurial intentions.