Metrics and Optimization of Technology Transfer Channels between Universities and Firms

Abstract

In what is often called the 'knowledge economy', two actors, universities and firms, play a leading role in creating new knowledge, products, services and jobs. Through efficient and smart partnering models, firms can now leverage their innovative capacity and access valuable knowledge and insights from Universities. Engaging in Knowledge and Technology Transfer activities has become a must for companies relying on innovation to develop and defend their market share.We have been studying good practices world-wide in order to define the best ways of managing the main formal channels for knowledge and technology transfer from universities and public laboratories to firms: collaborative research and licensing, including spinning out start up companies.Despite a world class research activity established decades ago, Switzerland has only recently become a top ranked country in technology transfer. The key elements responsible for such a progression remain the subject of debate but we suggest that carefully selected technology transfer metrics may point out a concomitant increase of licensing activity from Universities to firms, in particular spin-offs, could explain the rise in international rankings. Finally, a parallel increase of staffing level of professional technology transfer agents may be responsible to the observed progression in research partnering ranking, due to improved associated transaction costs.