Entrepreneurial Behaviour of Researchers in a Basic Research Center: the example of CERN

The study aims to identify whether researchers' entrepreneurial behaviour changed after the introduction of a formal technology transfer policy (TTP) within CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, a centre for fundamental research in particle physics. The chosen unit of analysis is the individual researcher with limited duration contract. An analysis of the background literature on entrepreneurial behaviour and factors affecting it was performed and parameters for analysis identified. A total of 103 responses to a specifically developed questionnaire were obtained and statistical analysis carried out to assess presence or absence of entrepreneurial behaviour and the factors affecting it. The theoretical framework was developed taking into account recognition by peers, network, character, prior knowledge, field of research and incentives and researchers and engineers were assessed for positive and negative correlations. One can conclude, in general, that the personnel shows a good degree of entrepreneurialism and more incentives could be put in place to favour such a positive attitude. All incentives are positively and significantly correlated to encourage consulting activities by CERN and also positively correlated to a career alternative in industry. Furthermore collaboration with industry is perceived as not being harmful at all and only a few researchers with a previous experience in the private sector expressed the opinion that such a collaboration would have negative outcomes on CERN as a basic research center in general.