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Promoting academic engagement: university context and individual characteristics

Author

Listed:
  • Zhiyan Zhao

    (Northwestern Polytechnical University)

  • Anders Broström

    (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

  • Jianfeng Cai

    (Northwestern Polytechnical University)

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the impact of organizational context on individuals’ industry activities in Chinese universities. Academic engagement, which includes collaborative research, contract research, consulting and other informal outreach activities, is posited as being jointly determined by organizational and individual level factors. Based on 564 Chinese scientists’ survey responses, our results show that scientists perceiving their university as having a strong entrepreneurial mission or supportive policy context are more active in academic engagement. This relationship is, however, moderated by individual-level factors. Specifically, entrepreneurially oriented university missions and supportive policy are more strongly associated with intra-individual differences in academic engagement for junior scientists, and for scientists with established personal networks to industry. Our analysis also shows that several individual-level predictors of academic engagement identified in studies set in Europe and the US carry over to the Chinese context.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhiyan Zhao & Anders Broström & Jianfeng Cai, 2020. "Promoting academic engagement: university context and individual characteristics," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 304-337, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:45:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s10961-018-9680-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-018-9680-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Giovanni Abramo & Francesca Apponi & Ciriaco Andrea D'Angelo, 2021. "Do the propensity and drivers of academics' engagement in research collaboration with industry vary over time?," Papers 2102.05364, arXiv.org.
    2. Stanley Murairwa, 2021. "A Sustainable Zimbabwe University – Industry Collaboration Framework," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 5(6), pages 160-168, June.
    3. Giovanni Abramo & Francesca Apponi & Ciriaco Andrea D'Angelo, 2021. "Public-private research collaborations: longitudinal field-level analysis of determinants, frequency and impact," Papers 2103.14857, arXiv.org.
    4. Alice Bertoletti & Geraint Johnes, 2021. "Efficiency in university-industry collaboration: an analysis of UK higher education institutions," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(9), pages 7679-7714, September.
    5. Miao Wang & Danny Soetanto & Jianfeng Cai & Hina Munir, 2022. "Scientist or Entrepreneur? Identity centrality, university entrepreneurial mission, and academic entrepreneurial intention," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 119-146, February.
    6. Giovanni Abramo & Francesca Apponi & Ciriaco Andrea D'Angelo, 2021. "Public–private research collaborations: Longitudinal field‐level analysis of determinants, frequency, and impact," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5), pages 1405-1427, December.
    7. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo, 2022. "Drivers of academic engagement in public–private research collaboration: an empirical study," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 1861-1884, December.
    8. Dolores Modic & Borut Lužar & Tohru Yoshioka-Kobayashi, 2023. "Structure of university licensing networks," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(2), pages 901-932, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Academic engagement; Entrepreneurial mission; Policy context; Individual characteristics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • L52 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Industrial Policy; Sectoral Planning Methods
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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