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PurposeUniversities and government agencies offer academic scientists entrepreneurship training and resources to catalyze their involvement in technology commercialization activity. This study investigates the impact of such training on the entrepreneurial intention and behaviors of graduate students and faculty researchers, focusing on factors that moderate these effects. Design/methodology/approachData were collected through pre-, post- and longitudinal quantitative surveys administered to 3,455 participants in the National Science Foundation I-Corps Teams program in the United States. The analysis involved repeated-measures ANOVA to assess changes in entrepreneurial intention and binary logistic regression to predict entrepreneurial behavior over time. FindingsThe first set of analyses revealed that the impact of entrepreneurial training on intention was moderated by three key factors: (1) professional role (Ph.D. student or faculty member), (2) prior entrepreneurial experience, and (3) the perceived potential of a specific technology commercialization project. Longitudinal analyses revealed that perceived project potential, followed by prior entrepreneurial experience, were the strongest moderators affecting the strength of the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and actual entrepreneurial behavior. Originality/valueAt a theoretical level, this study advances our understanding of the intention–behavior gap in academic entrepreneurship by identifying key moderating factors – professional role, prior entrepreneurial experience and project potential – that influence how intentions translate into actions. At an applied level, it explores how immersive programs such as I-Corps influence academic scientist engagement in startup activities at research universities.
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This content will become publicly available on September 8, 2026
When automation hits jobs: Entrepreneurship as an alternative career path
This study investigates the relationship between occupational automation risks and workers’ transitions to entrepreneurship using data from the Current Population Survey. We find that employees facing automation-related job displacement are inclined to shift toward unincorporated entrepreneurship, emphasizing entrepreneurship as a viable alternative career path. Noteworthy variations emerge when examining specific automation technologies, revealing a positive association between industrial robots and entrepreneurial transitions, whereas artificial intelligence displays a negative relationship. Gender disparities are observed, with female workers exhibiting a lower likelihood than males of transitioning into entrepreneurship. This study also shows a heightened prominence of entrepreneurial transitions during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. By illuminating entrepreneurship as a response to job displacement, our results offer crucial policy insights into the labor market implications of automation.
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- PAR ID:
- 10645290
- Editor(s):
- de_Almeida, Rafael Galvão
- Publisher / Repository:
- PLOS
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- PLOS One
- Volume:
- 20
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 1932-6203
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- e0331244
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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