The death and rebirth of the entrepreneurial university model

The emergence of the "entrepreneurial university model" (EUM), which supports university-based commercialization and entrepreneurship, is almost universally praised. In this study, we take a contrarian view, arguing that the existing EUM does not adequately account for the true costs borne by participating stakeholders. We advance three alternative pathways that take a systems view to address the limitations of the current EUM. Considering alternative pathways is critical because the EUM as currently constructed is not sustainable. These pathways provide possible ways forward with more desirable out-comes for the myriad of university stakeholders, not just the elite universities and their star scientists. Specifically, each proposed pathway considers the inputs, processes, and outcomes for each pertinent stakeholder group. Our research imparts important policy implications for institutions tasked with commercializing scientific discoveries and policy-makers challenged with developing high growth, sustainable models.