Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>This study reconceptualizes the entrepreneurial university by arguing that universities differ not primarily in the breadth of their entrepreneurial activities but in the locus of commercialization authority. It examines where decision rights over intellectual property, venture creation, and equity ownership reside—whether with individual academics, universities, or delegated intermediaries—and explores how these authority structures shape commercialization pathways and entrepreneurial outcomes. A systematic-integrative literature review was conducted using Scopus database. Data were extracted through structured coding framework encompassing commercialization authority, governance arrangements, entrepreneurial activities, commercialization channels, theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and national contexts. Evidence was synthesized through iterative comparative analysis informed by institutional theory, knowledge spillover theory, absorptive capacity theory, and the Triple Helix model. The review demonstrates that entrepreneurial activity and commercialization authority are conceptually distinct and often decoupled. Entrepreneurial initiatives frequently expand faster than the decision rights required to govern commercialization effectively. Three principal loci of commercialization authority—academic, institutional, and delegated intermediaries were identified, each associated with a distinct commercialization pathway. By integrating authority locus with the degree of coupling between authority and entrepreneurial activity, the study develops a novel typology comprising five entrepreneurial university configurations: Proprietor, Investor, Upstream, Emerging, and Ceremonial. The findings further indicate that formal commercialization authority alone does not improve entrepreneurial performance unless supported by adequate managerial and absorptive capabilities. The study introduces commercialization authority as a foundational analytical construct, proposes an authority-based typology of entrepreneurial universities, identifies seven testable propositions, and offers a framework for future research, policy development, and university governance reform.</p>