What does a conducive environment for academic entrepreneurship look like? What can research and innovation management practitioners do at institutional, national and international levels to enhance academic entrepreneurship?

These are some of the questions that Abe Mathopa – research capacity development manager at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Department of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education – will be exploring when he shares his research findings at this year’s Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) conference.

The 2024 SARIMA conference will take place in Maputo, Mozambique from 3 to 5 September under the theme ‘It Takes a Village’. The annual conference brings together research and innovation management practitioners from institutions across the globe to share the latest findings, best practices and case studies to contribute to and enhance research and innovation management in Southern Africa. Following the acceptance of his abstract, Mathopa will present his research findings at the conference.

“One of the sessions, Innovation and Technology Transfer, aligns with my interest in the area of academic entrepreneurship – my MBA was titled ‘A conducive entrepreneurship ecosystem as perceived by academic entrepreneurs to enhance entrepreneurship’,” Mathopa says. “I will share the insights of the study at the conference and explain what motivates academics to engage in entrepreneurial activities in higher education institutions.”

In addition to his MBA, which he completed at UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, Mathopa also holds an MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology, which he attained from the University of Cape Town.

“My research findings revealed several intrinsic as well as extrinsic factors that motivate academics to engage in entrepreneurial research. Academic entrepreneurs are motivated by carrying out research that matters, research that addresses societal challenges and needs, and yields financial rewards.”

Mathopa found that a major barrier that prevents academic entrepreneurs from engaging in academic entrepreneurial research activities was the ‘publish-or-perish’ culture, “which is promoted within our academic institutions at the expense of promoting the academic entrepreneurship spirit”.

“These barriers threaten the very existence of academic entrepreneurs in higher education institutions, which, in turn, threatens the vital economic participation of researchers in socio-economic developmental activities,” he says.

“This is why the creation of a conducive environment for individual academics to overcome these barriers within the academic entrepreneurship ecosystem is paramount to enhancing academic entrepreneurship. Also, understanding entrepreneurial networks, collaborations between government, academia and industry, and establishing institutional networks to support academic entrepreneurship across different sectors are important ingredients in the formulation of research questions that address social challenges, and for conducting impactful research.”

Mathopa says his business studies have informed his interest in promoting academic entrepreneurship at UP to bolster research and talent retention, and to attract industry partnerships and funding.

“These endeavours align with the national goals of fostering entrepreneurial and research-intensive universities, which are vital for socio-economic advancement and global research prominence. As the manager in the Research Capacity Development division of UP’s Department of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, my participation at the SARIMA conference represents a valuable opportunity to meet essential developmental needs in research management and to further UP’s strategic goals.

“UP’s Strategic Plan 2025, along with our current five-year implementation strategy, affirms our commitment to achieving academic excellence and establishing ourselves as a premier research-intensive university in Africa. This vision emphasises the development of our academic research staff, especially early-career academics whose advancement and productivity are vital for maintaining and enhancing our research excellence.”