Abstract—Some scholars have attempted to define academic
entrepreneurship by classifying academics based on the types of
entrepreneurial activities that they are engaged in thus
academic entrepreneurship is described as the third mandate of
academia. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesise
the literature on the classification of academic entrepreneurs.
Three distinct identities of academic entrepreneurs are
described, namely, the academic entrepreneur, the
entrepreneurial academic, and the academic-entrepreneur. The
nature and essence of entrepreneurship of each identity is
discussed, based on the; types of activities, challenges academics
face, and opportunities available. Propositions presented
include; commercialisation is only one of many possible
outcomes of academic entrepreneurship, different
entrepreneurial activities may require different support to
nurture entrepreneurial academics and researchers, and need
to further explore how commercialisation can be an agenda for
all entrepreneurial activities as it influences sustainability of
entrepreneurial initiatives. The paper concludes by calling for
further work on integrating academic and entrepreneurial
identities.
Index Terms—Academic entrepreneurs, academic
entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial university.
The authors are with Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak
Campus, Sarawak, Malaysia (email: kenyeko@swinburne.edu.my,
kngui@swinburne.edu.my ).
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Cite: Kizito Emmanuel Nyeko and Ngui Kwang Sing, " Academic Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Academics:
Are They the Same," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 5, no. 12, pp. 1050-1055, 2015.