Factors Influencing the Translation of Academic Research to Commercialization: Evaluating the Impact of I-Corps Training on Entrepreneurial Intentions Among Academic Researchers

Abstract This study examines how entrepreneurship training, specifically the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-CorpsTM) program, acts as a Lean Startup (LS) based learning intervention. We analyze role-differentiated mechanisms using structural equation models informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to assess how the I-Corps National training influences the attitudes, the perception of subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of Principal Investigators (PIs) and Entrepreneurial Leads (ELs). ELs, who engage directly in customer discovery and evidence gathering, demonstrate substantially stronger gains in entrepreneurial confidence and Business Model Canvas understanding than PIs. Yet these learning gains do not consistently translate into entrepreneurial action. Both roles commercialize at similar rates but through different pathways: PIs via institutionally aligned channels and ELs through venture-oriented efforts. Weak associations between intentions and behavior challenge standard assumptions about attitude-driven entry and suggest that I-Corps’ impact lies more in its action-oriented pedagogy than in altering psychological predispositions. We further distinguish between execution-oriented no-action among ELs, who acquire skills but face structural barriers, and legitimacy-oriented no-action among PIs, who express readiness without follow-through. Overall, the findings shift the focus from whether entrepreneurship training “works” to understanding what works, for whom, and why, highlighting the need to tailor interventions to the differing incentives, constraints, and learning pathways of academic roles.