Industry-to-university knowledge transfer in ecosystem-based academic entrepreneurship: Case study of automotive dynamics & control group in Tsinghua University

Abstract Academic entrepreneurship (AE) is becoming an increasingly important engine in technological development and economic growth for both developed and developing countries. Despite the fact that AE has been well established in literature with regard to its knowledge transfer from university to industry (U-I), the opposite knowledge flow from industry to university (I-U) in the AE ecosystem is rather neglected. In particular, how I-U knowledge transfer from different sources dynamically contributes to AE has not gained enough attention. To address this gap, we conducted a case study of Automotive Dynamics & Control Group affiliated to Tsinghua University in China and investigated how academic entrepreneurs from this group learnt from industry how to successfully commercialize their Anti-Lock Braking System and Automated Mechanical Transmission technologies. Our study shows how I-U knowledge transfer from three distinct sources are of great significance for university researchers engaging in commercialization, including personal industry experiences, commercialization partner firms, and leading customers, each transferring specific sorts of knowledge during a specific phase of AE. Our research synthesizes literature on I-U knowledge transfer and extends knowledge on the dynamics of AE from an ecosystem-based perspective.