Academic entrepreneurship: Barriers and fears versus wishes and opportunities

The aim of this article is to investigate the identification of the attitude of researchers towards entrepreneurialism and academic-entrepreneurs and the main barriers that hinder researchers’ entrepreneurialism in universities. The purpose of this research is also to identify the main reasons that determine that universities as organized institutions are passive in commercializing research findings. The mission of universities as principal knowledge-generating institutions has always been education and science; however, during the last two decades yet another mission of universities has developed, which has adequately emerged as a response to global processes, ever-changing environment, internationalization of studies and science, and increased competition.