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
student entrepreneurship; higher education; entrepreneurial support; entrepreneurial education; ecosystem connectivity
Received 18.08.2025, Revised 22.01.2026, Accepted 24.02.2026 Published 21.05.2026
Retrieved from Vol. 13, No. 1, 2026
https://doi.org/10.56318/eem2026.01.068
Pages 68-75