The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology in Mainland China have stressed facilitating knowledge transfer of research output in recent years. By facilitating this transfer, the government aims to enhance authentic productivity and boost economic development. Due to this facilitation, universities have encouraged academics to conduct applied projects. To examine this process, this study employed a qualitative research method, carrying out in-depth interviews with 20 academics in a third-tier university in Mainland China. The study observed that first, academics were torn between academic and applied projects. Second, the status of being in a third-tier university affected academics' participation in applied research. Third, project leaders had to perform specific roles (including the work of managerial professionals) as academic entrepreneurs. Social connections (guanxi) played a prominent role in academic entrepreneurship in the authors' case study.