From Research to Impact: Factors Shaping Translational Mindset.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Sciences
• Engineering
• Social Sciences

Background:

• Academic Entrepreneurial Intention (AEI) is crucial for translating research.
• The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) provides a framework for understanding intentions.
• A translational mindset guides researchers toward industry engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate psychological and contextual factors influencing researchers' translational mindset.
• To examine the predictors of Translation Intention based on the TPB.
• To understand how personal and social factors shape academic entrepreneurship.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 257 researchers and graduate students in STEM fields at US R1/R2 institutions.
• Utilized the Translational Mindset Scale (TMS) to measure constructs.
• Employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test a predictive model.

Main Results:

• Personal Attraction and Self-Efficacy strongly predicted Translation Intention.
• Perceived Social Norms had a negative direct effect but a positive indirect effect via Self-Efficacy.
• The model explained 91.5% of the variance in Translation Intention.

Conclusions:

• Personal motivation and self-belief are key drivers of translational intention.
• Institutional factors play a role but are secondary to individual psychological constructs.
• Findings inform strategies to enhance the academic-to-industry research pipeline.