Yes / The aim of this paper is dual: a) to elaborate a systemic concept of intrapreneurship in academia which will be reflective of complexities and idiosyncrasies of the University as a multi-mission multi-function organisation; and b) to empirically test this concept in the context of relatively neglected outputs of academic intrapreneurship such as graduate employability and graduate wellbeing. Guided by an intrapreneurial ecosystem framework, our analysis is based on a combination of administrative and survey panel data for 141 UK higher education institutions. We arrive at several contributing findings. These suggest that the intrapreneurial ecosystem within academia is increasingly predisposed towards enhancing the quality of graduate outcomes rather than simply promoting raw measures such as graduate jobs or the number of graduate start-ups. Furthermore, we reveal the critical role of University national stakeholder networks for graduate career satisfaction, start-up generation, and undergraduate employment. Finally, our empirical exercise and its results demonstrate the practical value of the proposed concept of the intrapreneurial ecosystem for University management and practitioners, not least because it systematically identifies areas for an immediate, medium- and long-term action.

Si depuis la fin des années 1990 des travaux portent sur l’intrapreneuriat en entreprise, au sein d’une université, ce phénomène reste globalement peu étudié. Pour contribuer à pallier ce manque, une exploration suivie de quatre études de cas sont réalisées. Notre recherche porte sur une forme récente d’intrapreneuriat universitaire : les plateformes technologiques. Sur le plan méthodologique, notre démarche s’appuie sur un raisonnement abductif. Elle mobilise cinquante-trois entretiens semi-directifs réalisés auprès d’experts et de responsables de plateformes, ainsi que des observations non participantes et des données secondaires relatives à douze plateformes du grand ouest français et dix-sept plateformes européennes. Cette recherche vise à comprendre les tensions vécues par les intrapreneurs universitaires et leur manière de les résoudre. L’apport est la proposition d’un cadrage théorique néo institutionnel visant à lire les tensions comme issues de la coexistence de trois logiques institutionnelles potentiellement paradoxales : logique de recherche et de formation, logique de soutien aux entreprises, logique de gestion. Nous montrons que l’hétérogénéité des plateformes universitaires en termes d’activités, ne provient pas uniquement du degré de maturité des technologies présentes. Elle se comprend surtout à travers l’analyse des différentes réponses des intrapreneurs face aux tensions paradoxales, ainsi que par leur manière d’hybrider les logiques institutionnelles (travail institutionnel). Nous soulignons l’importance d’étudier l’influence des parties prenantes sur l’intrapreneur pendant le processus de travail institutionnel. / Although organizational intrapreneurship has been studied since the end of the nineties, academic intrapreneurship is still less examined. In order to fill this gap, an exploratory study followed by four case studies have been undertaken. Our study deals with a recent form of intrapreneurship : technological core facilities. Our methodology includes 53 semi-directive interviews of experts and facilities managers, non-participant observations, and secondary data about twelve western french facilities and seventeen european facilities. The aim of this research is to provide in-depth understanding of the tensions perceived by intrapreneurs and the way they are resolved. Our contribution is the proposition of a neo institutional theoritical framework to read the tensions as coming from the coexistence of three potentially paradoxical institutional logics: a logic of research and formation, a logic of firms support and a logic of management. We point that the heterogeneity of facilities in terms of activities, does not solely come from the maturity degree of technologies. It is rather understandable through the analyse of the different responses adressed by intrapreneurs face to paradoxical tensions, and by the way institutional logics are hydridized (institutional work). We highlight the necessity to study stakeholders influence on the intrapreneur during the institutional work process.