Role conflict, entrepreneurial identity, and academic entrepreneurship: the effects of immigration status

University scientists have been strongly encouraged by administrators to engage in academic entrepreneurship (AE), via patenting, licensing, and startup formation. AE is a key aspect of the rise of “entrepreneurial universities” as discussed by (Guerrero & Urbano, Journal of Technology Transfer, 37(1), 43–74, 2012). We examine the relationship between role conflict and scientists’ propensity to engage in AE. Our model starts with the realization that academics contemplating AE struggle with multiple identities as scientists and entrepreneurs and different roles. We hypothesize that foreign-born scientists are more adept at developing an entrepreneurial identity and managing role conflict, which makes them more likely to engage in AE than their domestic counterparts. Our empirical results, based on data from 391 scientists at 25 US research universities, confirm that foreign-born scientists are well-positioned for AE and that engagement in AE mediates the positive impact of foreign-born status on entrepreneurial identity. The results imply that a more open immigration policy will generate higher levels of AE.