In recent years, the role of companies started by university students has generated considerable interest. Iconic companies such as Dell, Yahoo!, Google and Dropbox have seen an increase in attention, as have their founders’ stories. This has encouraged universities to increase their efforts...

New firms play a critical role in the economy. They disrupt markets with new technologies, offer social mobility opportunities, and support labor market dynamism. As much as any society should nurture and help its new generations to prosper and grow, its economy will be significantly...

The creation of University Spin-Off companies (USOs) is one of the most visible form of commercialization of university research. To date, there is scant and mixed evidence about USOs and their performance, thus producing a debate about their impact on the economy and society and about the...

In this paper, using a neo-institutional perspective, we model inter-temporal organisational responses applied to the diffusion and evolution of regulations and practices in university patenting activities. Our study is located in Italy, and it is based on the complete list of patent regulations...

Why do university researchers decide to start-up a new venture? How can we distinguish between the different factors influencing such an important decision? To what extent are specific policies activated within universities relevant in the process of new venture creation? In this paper we try to...

Despite a growing interest in academic spin-offs (ASOs), research has overlooked the determinants, strategies, and outcomes of their internationalization choices. In this chapter, we review existing literature on the topic of internationalization of ASOs, connecting it to international business...

The important role that academic spin-offs have in supporting technological growth has been widely acknowledged. Despite the growing interest in the study of academic spin-offs, there is little evidence on the psychological characterization of academic entrepreneurs and their behaviours in...

In this paper we illustrate the changes that the Italian university system underwent from the early 2000s till today, with a special focus on the transition to academic entrepreneurship. We describe these changes as part of more general and similar trends taking place in other European countries...