Technology Transfer as Team Building: An Empirical Analysis of University TLOs in Japan

Abstract

The 'transfer of university technology' is not only a one-way transfer process of technological outputs matching a scientific discovery with a market need, but also the building of teams of university and business people working towards the common goal of technological knowledge creation. The role of university technology licensing offices (TLOs) is to facilitate this long-term partnership. The result of a questionnaire survey of university TLOs in Japan (n=40) reveals that "individual type TLOs" (where TLO performance is merely the sum of each member's individual output) were fewer than expected, while "organizational type TLOs" (where TLO performance depends on organizational assets or collaboration among members) were dominant. Yet, when considering such factors as the TLO's mission, the members' employment status and previous occupations, and the time allocation for each TLO activity, differences among TLOs were observed. Hence, by analyzing these organizational factors, those affecting the TLOs' performance were identified. The implications of this research are that TLOs where either (1) the proportion of full-time or permanent members is high, or the number of staffs with previous work experience in private companies is important, or (2) the time allocation ratio between sales, legal affairs and strategic activities is approximately 6:2:2, may enjoy greater performance