Entrepreneurial universities and research ambidexterity: A multilevel analysis

•Research ambidexterity (RA) is a multilevel construct.•RA is a key to develop toward entrepreneurial universities.

This paper develops the notion of research ambidexterity (RA) in the context of the entrepreneurial universities. Two levels of research ambidexterity are elaborated – departmental and individual. The putative multilevel relationships between university's antecedents, departmental/individual research ambidexterity and commercial performance are examined. On the basis of a postal questionnaire survey, a dataset of 634 faculty members, 99 departments, and six universities is collected. The results of regressions suggest that both levels of RA facilitate departmental and individual commercial performance, respectively. Moreover, there exist multilevel positive relationships between perceived organizational flexibility, departmental RA, and individual RA and opportunity exploitation. The paper concludes that the development of RA in entrepreneurial universities should be considered as multilevel relationships between universities, departments and individuals.