Role of university business incubators (UBIs) in shaping the digital entrepreneurial intentions (DEI) of the students

Purpose This study aims to explore the university business incubation centres in the entrepreneurial process with specific reference to its role in developing the digital entrepreneurial intention (EI) among the students. Design/methodology/approach Using the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, the study uses a qualitative, exploratory approach. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with student founders engaged in digital entrepreneurial activities within university business incubators (UBIs) at four universities in Islamabad were conducted to understand how do students interpret university-based incubation experiences in forming digital EIs? And how are these intentions translated into early digital entrepreneurial actions? Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The findings suggest that UBIs shape students’ digital EIs indirectly through how incubation support is experienced and interpreted. The availability of infrastructure, managerial support, mentorship and relational support enabled and legitimized entrepreneurial engagement of the students; however, unanimous managerial involvement and less relevant mentoring weakened this effect for some students. Such experiences shape students’ willingness and confidence which in turn translate into early digital entrepreneurial actions. Research limitations/implications Like other research, the current study also has several limitations that should be considered when interpreting the findings. Firstly, the aim was not to understand or compare the incubation experiences of the participants based on their demographic differences; rather, the authors wanted to explore how the presence of an on-campus UBI shapes the EI of the students – how do they experience and make sense of the UBIs in terms of developing EI. Hence, the findings are silent about variation in the experiences based on student demographics. Secondly, the authors have used in-depth interviews for collecting the experiences of student entrepreneurs; however, the authors had limited opportunities for methodological triangulation and may be influenced by participants’ retrospective reflections. Lastly, the data is collected from the students who are incubated in the UBIs in Islamabad only – the focus was intentional. Islamabad being the capital city of the country represents a concentrated higher education and a relatively strong entrepreneurial ecosystem. The authors do acknowledge that incubation practices and student experiences may vary across regions and institutional contexts. The findings do not aim for statistical generalization, but analytical and contextual relevance makes the research interesting. Practical implications The study has implications for university as well as the incubation centres. For universities, the findings caution to evaluate effectiveness of an on-campus incubation merely through students’ participation and venture creation. In developing economies like Pakistan, students are already facing uncertain conditions in incubation centres if they signal support, but failing to provide support shakes students’ confidence in the ecosystem. Hence, for a university, it is important to focus on the quality of the support mechanisms and consistency of the ecosystem than mere presence. For incubation centres and management, the findings propose to have need assessment for each incubated venture and devise a support mechanism as per their needs and requirements. Lack of managerial support, standardized and less relevant mentorship undermine students’ confidence in their abilities, making stimulus less useful in creation of EI among the students. Incubation centres may therefore benefit from establishing clearer mentoring structures, more predictable support mechanisms and transparent criteria for mentor allocation. To conclude, the authors state that using an SOR lens, UBIs emerges not as a linear pathway to entrepreneurship but as a complex context in which EIs are enabled, negotiated and sometimes constrained. Figure 2 summarizes the findings under SOR framework. Originality/value The role of university incubation centre in promoting digital entrepreneurial intent among students is less explored, especially in an emerging economy with a developing ecosystem context, such as Pakistan. This research contributes to bridging the gap by offering a better understanding of students’ digital EIs while also exploring the importance of student-led entrepreneurial ventures supported by university incubators. Furthermore, the research provides a foundation for further research into the effectiveness of UBIs using the SOR framework in terms of student digital EI.