Re‐thinking academic entrepreneurship: Micro, meso, and macro perspectives

Abstract Research Summary We summarize and synthesize the papers contained in the special issue and use these studies to illustrate key micro, meso, and macro dimensions of academic entrepreneurship, where micro focuses on the scientist, meso is concerned with the university ecosystem, and macro refers to the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. A key finding from our special issue is that routines, pivots, and intellectual property, which determine venture viability, emerge from granular individual action, including identity formation and evolution. We also find that macro instruments such as public funding/grants and institutional governance appear to steer resources toward viable science‐based ventures. Our essay concludes by presenting numerous additional micro, meso, and macro research questions to motivate future research on the managerial and public policy implications of academic entrepreneurship. Managerial Summary There are several key managerial implications of our essay and this special issue. “Managers” and those who supervise academic entrepreneurs need to develop and support their scientists entrepreneurial identity formation and evolution. Managers also need to enhance incentives for academic entrepreneurship and foster a culture within their academic departments, schools, and colleges that support these activities. Policymakers need to design entrepreneurial training for scientists with both “micro” and “macro” issues in mind.