University-industry technology transfer: who needs TTOs?

Abstract

The inclusion and expectations of entrepreneurial activities along side the traditional tasks of the university have led to the formation of infrastructures to facilitate technology transfer from universities. In Sweden, since the mid-1990s, several types of technology transfer organisations (TTOs) within the universities or university regions have been established to motivate and assist scientists to commercialise their research results and to facilitate academic entrepreneurship. However, a group of experienced inventors find the TTOs irrelevant to their activities, and even argued TTOs may hinder their personal networks with the industrial partners. However, another type of scientists (e.g., occasional inventors) used TTOs with the hope of facilitating their commercial activities. The aim of this paper is to investigate why some university scientists have used TTOs in their entrepreneurial endeavours and to what extent TTOs have assisted these scientists in their entrepreneurial activities. The results of the interviews with selected inventors are used to enrich and complement the discussion.