2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Potential Conflicts of Interest in Academic Entrepreneurship

Presented at ENT-8: Mentorship, Creativity, and Ethics in Academic Entrepreneurship

Many universities are encouraging academic researchers to participate in technology commercialization and entrepreneurship to demonstrate economic and societal returns from investments in scientific discovery. A shift in focus from traditional academic responsibilities to more entrepreneurial ones can introduce conflicts of interest for faculty and student researchers, who explore potential markets for their innovations and engage in business transactions. This paper describes three categories of conflicts of interest pertinent to academic entrepreneurs and common measures universities use to manage them. Our aim is to raise awareness of potential conflicts so that they are managed to benefit both the institutions and the individuals involved.

Authors

Dr. Nathalie Duval-Couetil http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0260-0208 Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Nathalie Duval-Couetil is the Director of University Entrepreneurship Education Initiatives and a Professor in the Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation at Purdue University.
Voichita Maria Dadarlat
Dr. Yi Wang http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-9477-5960 Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Dr. Yi Wang is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation at Purdue University. Her research focuses on entrepreneurship education, with a particular interest in the experiences and motivations of student entrepreneurs, as well as their engagement and success. Dr. Wang employs advanced quantitative methods and mixed-methods approaches to analyze large-scale national survey data. Her work strives to contribute to the broader understanding of how to cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets and drive innovation in academic settings.

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