The Role of Intention and Motivation for Researchers Engaging in Academic Entrepreneurship (University Spin-Offs)

The third mission of universities refers to the alignment of a higher education institutions with the concept of entrepreneurial university. By combining the other two missions, education and research, universities are called to capitalize on the research results developed in their laboratories and orient themselves towards the needs of society and market demands. Recently, there has been an increased interest from universities worldwide to engage in the third mission of entrepreneurship and economic development. Transitioning to an entrepreneurial university requires multifaceted engagement with the industry to transfer the technology developed in universities. Technological transfer is represented by direct research contracts with the industrial environment and transfer of innovative products and services, one way being academic spin-offs and start-ups (Ufuk and Kunday 2015).