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A new study by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst reveals that women in academic entrepreneurship are more likely to be driven by social impact than commercial motives, highlighting a key factor influencing gender disparities in STEM-related business ventures.

The findings, in Research Policy, suggest that women researchers are significantly more interested in entrepreneurship when it involves addressing societal challenges. In contrast, men displayed equal levels of interest in social and commercial entrepreneurial pursuits.

"We know that who is involved in science and innovation shapes the kinds of questions asked and the discoveries made," says Ina Ganguli, professor of economics at UMass Amherst and an author of the paper. "Without different types of individuals inventing and creating products, then we are likely missing out on some solutions to problems facing consumers and society more broadly."

The research examined data from the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which provides entrepreneurial training to faculty and graduate students seeking to commercialize scientific discoveries. Despite efforts to promote diversity, women have accounted for only 20% of I-Corps participants since the program began in 2011.

The study team, which also included recent doctoral graduate April Burrage and Nilanjana Dasgupta, provost professor of psychological and brain sciences at UMass Amherst, analyzed survey results from seven cohorts of I-Corps participants between 2018 and 2022. They then examined 1,267 publicly available project summaries from I-Corps grants nationwide between 2011 and 2019. In both cases, women-led projects emphasized social impact more frequently than those led by men.

To further investigate the role of social-impact motives, the research team conducted a field experiment by sending recruitment emails to faculty and graduate students, inviting them to join the I-Corps training program. One version of the email highlighted the potential for commercial success, while another framed the opportunity as a way to tackle social challenges. Women were significantly more likely to engage with the email that emphasized social impact, whereas men responded equally to both versions.

The results indicate that low-cost interventions—such as framing entrepreneurial opportunities in terms of social impact—could help close the gender gap in academic commercialization.

The research suggests that I-Corps and similar programs refine their outreach strategies to attract more diverse participants, emphasizing the broader societal benefits of scientific and technological advancements.

The findings also have implications for STEM education more broadly. For example, emphasizing the potential for social impact in STEM careers could resonate with women and other underrepresented groups who are considering what fields to study.