Work

Academic entrepreneuring: Bridging entrepreneurial action and academic careers

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: How can the academic community train, develop, and continuously upskill researchers across all career stages in ways that remain relevant to the challenges academics face today? We argue that researcher development is best understood as an entrepreneurial process embedded in institutional contexts. Drawing on the core entrepreneurial processes of opportunity recognition, effectuation, bricolage, and iteration, we develop a developmental framework of a parallel process that explains how researcher trajectories unfold through iterative cycles of learning and opportunity pursuit across career stages. We also examine how institutional embeddedness, including managerial expectations, impact agendas, and bureaucratic constraints, shapes the conditions under which academic entrepreneuring unfolds, while highlighting structural asymmetries across career stages in access to time, networks, mentorship, and resources. By repositioning entrepreneurial processes through a developmental lens to better understand academic careers, we offer guidance for doctoral program leaders, institutional decision-makers, and funding bodies navigating the complex research environment. We also provide researchers with a lens to approach their PhD journeys, training needs, and career options.

Source: Journal of Business Venturing Insights

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2026.e00609

Authors: Herman Aguinis, Yanhong Ding, Marilyn A. Uy, Maw-Der Foo

Institutions: George Washington University, Nanyang Technological University

Language: English

Topic: Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,890