Do parent organizations influence R&D decisions of academic spin-offs?

Research on academic spin-offs (ASOs) usually focused on their economic performance, but there was a lack of discussion on the decision-making grounds of enterprise behaviors. This study analyzes the influence of parent organizations on R&D investment of ASOs through listed high-tech enterprises in China. It is found that ASOs controlled by the parent organizations have a higher R&D investment. With the organizational imprinting theory and signaling theory, we attempt to attribute the R&D tendency to the higher financing efficiency and government subsidies. The conclusions provide a new inspiration and explanation the inherent logic of ASOs' active participation in innovation activities.