Academic entrepreneurship and traditional academic duties: synergy or rivalry?

The engagement of universities in entrepreneurial activities, in addition to their traditional roles of teaching and research, has received mixed responses; while some view this as a positive change with a myriad of benefits to universities, business and the wider economy others argue that this causes negative impacts on traditional university roles. Whilst most of these studies are conducted in relatively resource rich developed countries, there is a lack of research carried out in resource constrained environments. Hence, this study aims to fill this gap in our knowledge by investigating how academic entrepreneurship in a resource constrained environment affects normal academic duties. Sequential mixed methods are adopted with an online survey and follow up in-depth interviews. Our study reveals that academic entrepreneurial engagement is essential to conduct teaching and research in a resource constrained environment since it is the only option for academics to overcome resource barriers. Academic entrepreneurs manage their engagements in multiple activities due to the symbiotic relationship between them and other academics who work closely with them. Whilst academic entrepreneurs are the initiators or leaders who secure entrepreneurial opportunities, other academics support them to capitalise on these opportunities. It is the resource scarcities that create this symbiotic interdependency between academic entrepreneurs and other academics. Implications and future research avenues are highlighted.