Economics, Entrepreneurship, Management

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Editorial Policies
  • Submissions
  • Archives
  • Indexing
  • Contact Info
uk

Article

University business incubator services and students’ entrepreneurial mindset in Algeria

Lynda Ait Bachir
Abstract

The growing institutional emphasis on the entrepreneurial university has placed university business incubators at the centre of contemporary debates on student entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial capability development. Against this backdrop, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of university business incubator services on the entrepreneurial mindset of university students in an Algerian university context. The study adopted a quantitative descriptive-analytical design and drew on primary data collected through an electronic questionnaire administered to 390 students. The measurement instrument demonstrated strong internal consistency, and the data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. The findings provided clear empirical evidence that university business incubator services exert a positive and statistically significant effect on students’ entrepreneurial mindset. However, this effect is differentiated across service dimensions. Shared services and facilities emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by performance evaluation and technical support, whereas marketing and financial services showed the weakest, though still significant, effect. These results indicated that the current contribution of university incubators is strongest in providing an enabling environment, practical support, and structured guidance, while their external market and financial functions remain comparatively underdeveloped. The practical significance of the study lies in substantiating the need to review the development priorities of university business incubators, in particular, strengthening marketing and financial support, which can be used by university administrations and political and managerial structures to increase the effectiveness of incubation programs and stimulate student entrepreneurship

Keywords

student entrepreneurship; higher education; entrepreneurial support; entrepreneurial education; ecosystem connectivity

Download article

Received 18.08.2025, Revised 22.01.2026, Accepted 24.02.2026 Published 21.05.2026

Retrieved from Vol. 13, No. 1, 2026

Suggested citation

Bachir, L.A. (2026). University business incubator services and students’ entrepreneurial mindset in Algeria. Economics, Entrepreneurship, Management, 13(1), 68-75. https://doi.org/10.56318/eem2026.01.068

https://doi.org/10.56318/eem2026.01.068

Pages 68-75

References

  1. Aka, K.G., & Enagogo, C.A. (2025). University support and entrepreneurial intention: Does a dedicated entrepreneurship course matter? The International Journal of Management Education, 23(3), article number 101273. doi: 10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101273.
  2. Anjum, T., Díaz Tautiva, J.A., Zaheer, M.A., & Heidler, P. (2024). Entrepreneurial intentions: Entrepreneurship education programs, cognitive motivational factors of planned behavior, and business incubation centers. Education Sciences, 14(9), article number 983. doi: 10.3390/educsci14090983.
  3. Assenova, V.A. (2020). Early-stage venture incubation and mentoring promote learning, scaling, and profitability among disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Organization Science, 31(6), 1560-1578. doi: 10.1287/orsc.2020.1367.
  4. Ayad, T., Sobaih, A.E.E., & Elshaer, I.A. (2022). University incubator support and entrepreneurial intention among tourism graduates: Mediating role of personal attitude. Sustainability, 14(23), article number 16045. doi: 10.3390/su142316045.
  5. Bordean, O.N., Pop, Z.C., & Estad, T. (2025). Comparative analysis of entrepreneurial intention among students: A cross-country study. SAGE Open, 15(1), 2158-2164. doi: 10.1177/21582440251323510.
  6. Brito Ochoa, M.P., Viera-Romero, A.M., Vásquez-Luna, L.E., & Salas Narváez, L.C. (2024). The contribution of entrepreneurship centers and business incubators to the Ecuadorian entrepreneurial ecosystem. Suma de Negocios, 15(33), 90-98. doi: 10.14349/sumneg/2024.V15.N33.A2.
  7. Chang, Y., & Cheng, Q. (2024). Entrepreneurial mentoring, financial support and incubator patent licensing: Evidence from Chinese incubators. European Journal of Innovation Management, 27(1), 290-309. doi: 10.1108/EJIM-03-2022-0140.
  8. Clark, D.R., Covin, J.G., & Pidduck, R.J. (2025). Individual entrepreneurial orientation: Scale development and validation. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 49(3), 668-710. doi: 10.1177/1042258724127990.
  9. El Afqih, B., & Messaoudi, A. (2025). The role of university incubators in stimulating sustainable innovation in Morocco: A critical analysis. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 16(1), 873-891. doi: 10.15503/jecs2025.2.873.891.
  10. Haddoud, M.Y., Nowiński, W., & Elbaz, A.M. (2024). Perceived corruption, entrepreneurial exposure and entrepreneurial career intention: Evidence from five emerging countries. Journal of Business Research, 174, article number 114523. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114523.
  11. Liang, Y., Chen, R., Hong, H., Li, S., & Han, L. (2025). Shaping digital entrepreneurial intention in higher education: The role of entrepreneurship education, creativity, and digital literacy among Chinese university students. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 10(5), article number 100788. doi: 10.1016/j.jik.2025.100788.
  12. Lyu, J., Shepherd, D., & Lee, K. (2023). From intentional to nascent student entrepreneurs: The moderating role of university entrepreneurial offerings. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 8(1), article number 100305. doi: 10.1016/j.jik.2023.100305.
  13. Makai, A.L., & Dőry, T. (2023). Perceived university support and environment as a factor of entrepreneurial intention: Evidence from Western Transdanubia Region. PLOS ONE, 18(6), article number e0283850. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283850.
  14. Malebana, M.J., & Mahlaole, S.T. (2023). Prior entrepreneurship exposure and work experience as determinants of entrepreneurial intentions among South African university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, article number 1176065. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1176065.
  15. Mele, G., Sansone, G., Secundo, G., & Paolucci, E. (2022). Speeding up student entrepreneurship: The role of university business idea incubators. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 71, 2364-2378. doi: 10.1109/TEM.2022.3175655.
  16. Ratkovic, T., Paunovic, I., & Šlogar, H. (2025). The role of university entrepreneurship support and student diversity in student entrepreneurial intention: A social identity theory perspective. PLOS ONE, 20(4), article number e0321651. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321651.
  17. Shiri, N., Khoshmaram, M., Mehdizadeh, H., Sadraei, R., & Ayoubi, R. (2025). How is the entrepreneurial mindset of university students formed? The role of entrepreneurial inspiration, education, methods, and environment. The International Journal of Management Education, 23(2), article number 101158. doi: 10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101158.
  18. Shongwe, M.A., Chiume, M., Malebe A.F., Maponya, L., & Ogujiuba, K. (2026). Investigating the efficacy of university-led business incubators on graduate unemployment. Acta Commercii, 26(2), article number a153. doi: 10.4102/ac.v26i2.1530.
  19. Sisu, J.A., Tirnovanu, A.C., Patriche, C.-C., Nastase, M., & Schin, G.C. (2024). Enablers of students’ entrepreneurial intentions: Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 30(4), 856-884. doi: 10.1108/IJEBR-07-2023-0689.
  20. Sohail, K., Belitski, M., & Christiansen, L.C. (2023). Developing business incubation process frameworks: A systematic literature review. Journal of Business Research, 162, article number 113902. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113902.
  21. Thawesaengskulthai, N., Chatmarathong, A., Werasopon, N., & Koiwanit, J. (2025). Empirical implementation of coach-cash-connect mentoring model for innovation-driven enterprises. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 11(4), article number 100650. doi: 10.1016/j.joitmc.2025.100650.
  22. The Declaration of Helsinki. (1964, June). Ethical principles for medical research involving human participants. Retrieved from https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki.
  23. Uddin, M., Bal, H., & Hoque, N. (2025). Paving the way towards effective entrepreneurship education in emerging economies: An analysis of barriers and strategies. Sustainable Futures, 10, article number 101027. doi: 10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101027.
  24. Walsh, C., Ranabahu, N., & de Vries, H.P. (2025). Riding the roller coaster of emotional energy in a student startup incubator. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 8(4), 530-552. doi: 10.1177/25151274241263077.
  25. Zhang, Z., Abdullah, H., Hayati, A., Ghazali, A., D’Silva, J.L., Ismail, I.A., & Huang, Z. (2025). Family capital and entrepreneurial intentions of vocational undergraduates: The mediating role of critical thinking. Frontiers in Education, 10, article number 1462419. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1462419.
ISSN 2312-3435 e-ISSN 2413-7634
DOI: 10.56318/eem