Do technology entrepreneurship and external relationships always promote technology transfer? Evidence from Korean public research organizations

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effects of public research organizations' technology entrepreneurship and external relationships on technology transfer performance. The results show that the degree of public research organizations-industry collaboration has a negative effect on public research organizations’ spin-off creation but positive effects on their technology license agreements and licensing income. In addition, both organizational- and individual-level technology entrepreneurship positively affect public research organizations’ technology licensing income and, simultaneously, have a negative moderating effect on the relationship between the degree of public research organizations-industry collaboration and spin-off creation. Therefore, public research organizations’ top managements and policy makers should consider these different mechanisms and the double-edged sword effects of external relationships when they formulate strategies or policies for technology commercialization.