Environmental technology spillovers and green start-up emergence: the moderating role of patent commercialization policy and patent enforcement.

Abstract

While research on the creation of green start-ups recognizes the influence of technology spillovers, less attention has been given to the relative importance of heterogeneous technology spillover sources and how they contribute to green start-up emergence. This study aims to fill this lacuna in the existing literature by investigating the relationship between green start-up entry and environmental technology in universities, research institutes, and firms. We primarily focus on the moderating effects of patent commercialization policy and patent enforcement in the relationship. The results show that environmental technology in universities, research institutes, and firms has a positive influence on both of green and non-green start-up emergences. Among them, firms play the most important role, followed by research institutes and universities. Besides, patent commercialization policy plays a negative role in shaping the relationship between green start-ups and environmental technology of universities and firms and the relationship between non-green start-ups and university environmental technology. However, the role of patent commercialization policy does not hold in other cases. Moreover, patent enforcement is negatively related to the relationship between both of green and non-green start-ups and environmental technology of universities and firms, except for research institutes. It indicates that regions should emphasize the dominant position of firms in environmental technology innovation and formulate specific innovation measures for different organizations to better foster local green entrepreneurship.