The aim of this paper is to describe how the development of an entrepreneurial university contributes to the commercialisation of research. This is illustrated with the case of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. The findings show the importance of early pioneers creating a favourable culture from the very beginning of the university's existence. It also shows the influence of a few key individuals for the developed best practice in the innovation support system, which is to commercialise research by match-making researchers with complementing competences like entrepreneurship students as well as using alumni.

Purpose – The aim of this study is to test the assumption that ability to handle communication and iability of newness (LoN) is enhanced by academic entrepreneurship education and/or previous start-upexperience.

Design/methodology/approach – The data collection includes a questionnaire with a total sample of 392 responding entrepreneurs in Sweden. Statistical analyses are made between entrepreneurs with academic entrepreneurship education respectively previous start-up experience. Findings – The findings show that entrepreneurs with experience from entrepreneurship education report more developed communicative skills in the dimensions of openness as well as adaptation, whereas the dimension of other-orientation is found to be learned by previous start-up experience. When it comes to perceived problems related to LoN the differences between the groups were not as strong as assumed. However, the differences observed imply that also for handling LoN the authors identify a combined effect of possessing start-up experience as well as experience from entrepreneurship education. Consequently, entrepreneurs with experience from both, show in total the most elaborated skills.

Practical implications – One way to improve future entrepreneurship educations is to make students more aware of the mutual profit in a business agreement and how to communicate this in a marketing situation. Another suggestion is to include starting business as a course work.

Originality/value – This study not only meets the call for actual outcome from entrepreneurship educations in terms of changed behaviour but also for interdisciplinary research in the entrepreneurship field in integrating leadership research with focus on communication.

This article presents a Swedish case study of the regional effects of academic spin-offs. It is based on empirical data from Halmstad University and the Halmstad region, on the west coast of Sweden. The Halmstad case functions as an illustration of co-existing territorial and functional rationales, where a “rurban” lifestyle is combined with an increasingly “pracademic” knowledge. Spillover effects of university research (directly as well as indirectly) in the form of academic spin-offs have been traced over time. In doing so, we are able to identify two waves of academic entrepreneurship with direct and indirect regional effects. These waves contribute to the strengthening of the regional entrepreneurship and the attractiveness of the region. The establishment and (early) actions of the university can be seen as a stone that was thrown in the water, causing several waves to appear in the region. Whether these waves will be reinforced enough to create an entrepreneurial region, or just slowly disappear as rings on the water, also depends on the creation of an absorptive capacity and construction of the regional innovation system.

The aim of this paper is to describe how the development of an entrepreneurial university contributes to the commercialisation of research. This is illustrated with the case of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. The findings show the importance of early pioneers creating a favourable culture from the very beginning of the university’s existence. It also shows the influence of a few key individuals for the developed best practice in the innovation support system, which is to commercialise research by match-making researchers with complementing competences like entrepreneurship students as well as using alumni.

The purpose of this paper is to explore and visualize alternative ways – how and by whom – that academic research can come into commercial use. This study in the Swedish context investigates one entrepreneurial university, Chalmers University of Technology. In total, 18 interviews were conducted about researchers' views on commercialization and on how research comes into commercial use.Five propositions are advocated in relation to researchers’ role as enablers of others' commercialization. The concept of “need for utilization” is introduced as the critical explanation for researchers'  readiness to transfer knowledge mainly via alumni to established companies. This study suggests that both universities and policy should acknowledge alternative ways of commercialization of academic research instead of putting all efforts on trying to transform unwilling academic researchers into entrepreneurs. One alternative is to foster ongoing contacts between researchers and alumni, who make commercial use of academic research in established firms. This study furthers the knowledge about researchers’ individual motivation for commercialization, as driven by a “need for utilization.” By showing how researchers enable others commercialization, this study broadens the prevailing focus on researchers' formation of university spin-offs as the essential output from entrepreneurial universities. The results also contribute to understanding the role of alumni in knowledge transfer to existing industry. © 2017 © Emerald Publishing Limited