University Intermediation and Regional Agglomeration in Academic Entrepreneurship: Evidence from panel data in Japan

Universities, embedded within regional innovation systems, promote entrepreneurship through intermediary functions, including resource provision, consulting, and networking. Drawing on perspectives from entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation intermediation, this study examines how the effectiveness of these university functions varies according to regional innovation contexts and institutional types. The analysis integrates comprehensive panel data from 1,027 universities (2019–2023) with detailed patent and basic research funding databases. Fixed-effects negative binomial regression models with lagged independent variables are employed to control for unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity and to mitigate simultaneity bias. The results show that basic research capacity is consistently and positively associated with startup formation, highlighting its foundational role in academic entrepreneurship. However, the effects of other support functions are highly context-dependent: human resource and knowledge service linkages promote startup activity only when universities are embedded within innovation agglomerations. Investor linkages show no significant overall effect but become positively associated with startup formation in peripheral regions where access to capital is limited. These findings underscore the need for differentiated, ecosystem-sensitive intermediation strategies and highlight the importance of aligning university support mechanisms with the structure and maturity of surrounding innovation environments.