Academic entrepreneurial orientation. Empirical evidence from life sciences

This study aims to explore the determinants and strength of entrepreneurial orientation in academia, focusing in particular on the relationship between scientific productivity and engagement with industry. The paper makes reference to career-related data, scientific productivity variables, patents and consultancy activities regarding the entire life sciences teaching staff at the University of Siena from 1991 to 2010. The results show a trade-off between scientific reputation and university-industry relationships. The achievement of a certain level of scientific quality initially favours the performance of commercial activities (consulting, patenting and spin-off creation), but beyond a certain threshold scientists begin to focus primarily on research and their engagement with industry decreases.