Entrepreneurial Attitude of University Scientists - The Design and Some Results of an Empirical Study

Abstract

The socio-economic role of higher education institutions, or more precisely the way stakeholders view the role of universities in society underwent major changes all over the world and especially in Europe in the past one or two decades. As a result of these changes a third task or requirement has emerged in the mission statements of universities: the need for academic entrepreneurship, i.e. the commercialization of research results. This paper presents the concept and some results of a nationwide survey at Hungarian universities including 1,562 faculty members. A major aim of this survey was to examine the individual and organizational factors that influence the integration of academic entrepreneurship within the traditional university functions. In this paper, the relationship between faculty’s attitude to and activity in academic entrepreneurship is highlighted. Conclusion is that the relationship between attitude and behaviour is significant but weak, thus other factors have to be considered as the main determinants of the diffusion of the third mission, such as the field of science or the influence of colleagues.