Emergence of New University Business Incubators’(UBIs) Business Models (BMs): A Re-Definition, Typology and Future Research Agenda

This study as part of a postdoctoral research takes a first look on evolving University Business Incubators’(UBIs) emerging business models based on business model transformation, adaptation and innovation. The study utilizes philosophical (essentialism and empiricism), psychological (cognitive schemas with analog and conceptual combination) and entrepreneurship perspectives in classifying emerging UBI models using case studies. The classified UBI business models via essentialism(typology) include: Core Business and Entrepreneurship BMs, Core R &D commercialization, regionally initiated BM, Industry focused BM and Opportunity Based UBI BMs. Cognitive Generation based on analogue reasoning and conceptual recombination of schemas are further applied to see new UBI BMs that can also emerge due to endogenous (cognitive reasons) evolving from cognitive strategic decisions. In addition to this, a conceptual combination of modeling UBIs as a ‘corporate business incubator located in a University with the host University as the parent company or Corporate Enterprise with attributes of corporate innovation, strategic renewal and venturing, while the UBI is involved in both Corporate(University) venturing and innovation is proposed. This study will take a look at the entities of each of these UBI business model (and also across different industries) and later map them with typical CBIs (Corporate Business Incubators) for value creation in further studies. The study is intended to give an insight into the different business models UBIs can adopt due to endogenous, exogenous and life-cycle transformation overtime.