Analyzing the Key Drivers of Sustainable Academic Entrepreneurship: A System Dynamics Perspective

Journal of Systems Thinking in Practice

مقالات آماده انتشار، پذیرفته شده، انتشار آنلاین از تاریخ 05 مهر 1404

نوع مقاله: Research Article

شناسه دیجیتال (DOI): 10.22067/jstinp.2025.94293.1161

نویسندگان

Elham Mofateh Zade¹؛ Ali Morovati Sharifabadi^{* 2}؛ Habib Zare Ahmadabadi³؛ Seyed Heydar MirFakhrodini⁴

¹Department of Accounting and Economics, Faculty of Management, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

²Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

³Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Economics, Management, and Accounting, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

⁴Full Professor, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Economics, Management, and Accounting, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

چکیده

Background Sustainable academic entrepreneurship constitutes a fundamental pillar of sustainable academic transformation, enabling universities to align their missions with environmental, economic, and societal objectives. Although global interest in this field is rising, many universities—especially in developing countries—face institutional and structural barriers that hinder the emergence of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. A comprehensive, systems-based understanding of the key drivers, interdependencies, and feedback mechanisms is essential to address these challenges.

Methods This study employs a mixed-method design, integrating meta-synthesis of scholarly literature and expert interviews to identify 25 critical factors influencing sustainable academic entrepreneurship. A system dynamics model was constructed and validated by academic stakeholders. The model was simulated using Vensim software over a 60-month period, and seven policy scenarios were tested, focusing on variables including entrepreneurship education, financial support, industrial experience, managerial continuity, and regulatory conditions.

Results Simulation findings demonstrate that enhancing the quality of entrepreneurship education, expanding industrial experience among faculty and students, and implementing targeted financial incentives significantly strengthen entrepreneurial capacity and foster the development of sustainable innovation centers. Moreover, scenario-specific results indicated that integrated implementation of multiple supportive policies produced the most substantial improvements, whereas isolated interventions had limited effects. Conversely, institutional constraints—including bureaucratic complexity, inconsistent policies, and limited leadership commitment—generate strong balancing feedback loops that impede long-term growth. The most effective improvements emerged from the integrated implementation of supportive policy measures.

Conclusion To promote sustainable academic entrepreneurship, universities must adopt systemic and forward-looking strategies that simultaneously address structural and behavioral drivers. Findings from the policy scenarios suggest that reinforcing positive feedback loops—including education, experience, and institutional support—while minimizing counterproductive constraints maximizes idea success rates, innovation outputs, and ecosystem resilience. The proposed model offers actionable insights for policymakers aiming to align institutional transformation with sustainable development goals.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Sustainable Academic Entrepreneurship؛ System Dynamics Modeling؛ Entrepreneurship Education؛ Vensim Simulation