Doctoral students in the entrepreneurial university: an untapped potential?

The purpose of the present thesis, which is the main result of the author's doctoral journey, is to shed light on the early stage of doctoral students' entrepreneurial process within the framework of the entrepreneurial university. The paper approaches the topic from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, focusing on the entrepreneurial decision process of doctoral students as the starting point of their journey toward creating a new organization. The thesis is structured into five chapters. It begins with an introduction to the topic and a general overview of the subsequent sections. The second chapter provides a solid conceptual foundation for the entire work through a systematic literature review (SLR) on the academic entrepreneurship process. Both individual factors and those related to the surrounding socio-organizational context are considered in the study of the process. Data are analyzed through thematic analysis and narrative synthesis, obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the state of the art of academic entrepreneurship. The results highlight what is currently known about the role of individual and socio-organizational variables in the entrepreneurial process. Finally, a research agenda is established around three questions that will guide future empirical work. The third chapter analyzes the origin of doctoral entrepreneurship, defined as the decision of doctoral students to become entrepreneurs. A conceptual model that integrates the individual dimension with the university support system is proposed and empirically tested. Human capital is considered the antecedent of doctoral students' entrepreneurial readiness, while the university support system is hypothesized to enhance their transition from entrepreneurial readiness to the decision to become entrepreneurs. The results of the empirical analysis reveal that the decision to become an entrepreneur is a multifaceted phenomenon, influenced by numerous factors at different levels. The fourth chapter delves into this theme, taking an inductive approach to analyze the complexity of doctoral entrepreneurship. The results highlight the prominent role of the individual dimension and the social context, represented by individuals who interact socially with doctoral founders, such as friends, colleagues and supervisors. In contrast, the university support system was found to play a marginal role. The final chapter offers a general discussion of the results, with theoretical and practical implications.