Technology Transfer Offices Research Articles

A holistic tool for improving technology transfer offices' performance

A holistic tool for improving technology transfer offices' performance

Outsourcing university research commercialization to a sophisticated technology transfer office: Evidence from Australian Universities

Outsourcing university research commercialization to a sophisticated technology transfer office: Evidence from Australian Universities

From Lab to Market: Challenges Faced By Academic Entrepreneur in Technology Transfer Pursuit

The development of academic entrepreneurship is often benchmarked by the rate of patenting, licensing and spin-offs creation. However, these traditional indicators inherently require a long gestation period to materialize, thus creating a challenge to gauge the progress of novice universities. This paper preliminarily assesses the nature of academic entrepreneurship from a developing economy perspective and explore common challenges faced by academic entrepreneurs in bringing research discoveries from lab to market. Survey questionnaires were distributed to academic entrepreneurs of a public university in Malaysia and a series of answers to an open-ended question were analysed through content analysis. Although the results showed the rate of patents, licensing and start-up creations are modest, however, most of the scientists have made significant progress to the pre-commercialization stage by developing prototypes with commercial potential. The content analysis revealed that scientists’ entrepreneurial characteristics and institutional support were among the main factors that affect the commercialization of research discoveries. These findings suggest for the relevant authority to take improvement measures to enhance the efficiency of Technology Transfer Office and for the private funders and government disbursing agencies to provide more transparency in decision criteria and to reduce the period of application process and approval results. Avenues for future research are recommended based on the findings derived from this single case study.

Emergence and Scale-up of Frugal Innovations: The Relevance of University-Industry Interaction

This article analyses the emergence and scale-up of frugal innovations supported by university-industry interactions in the Colombian context. We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight researchers from the National University of Colombia, who participated in activities to transfer technology to society through frugal innovations. Results highlight the social role of the Colombian university and the motivations of the participating researchers to develop frugal innovations. Three benefits of the university-industry interaction to develop and upscale frugal innovations were identified and described: a) the exchange of specialised knowledge that helps to do incremental improvements on frugal innovations; b) the strengthening of distribution and marketing strategies of innovation, supporting its implementation in different contexts; and c) advantages in scaling up production. The relevance of these findings to understand frugal innovation processes and their implications for designing support services by university technology transfer offices are discussed.

The Importance of Information for Effective University–Firm Technology Transfer: The Case of ICAT–UNAM

As part of their mission, faculties, centers, and research institutes of public universities in Mexico, develop technology products to a certain level of maturity. Normally, project development teams are devoted to building the hardware and software of the technology products but rarely deal with the commercial and technology management information required to advance the business plan for technology transfer. Socio￾economic, organizational, and new project development information is normally prepared by personnel in the university’s technology transfer office. Using a case study methodology, this article highlights the importance and the value of the information provided by technology studies undertaken throughout the different phases of a Research Development and Innovation (R&D+i) project, until the point of technology transfer negotiations. The presented study involves the case of a Mexican public R&D institute, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Determinants of ICT Innovations: Lessons Learned from Sweden and Sri Lanka

Innovation is critical for enterprises and the country’s economy, and it has resulted in an improvement in living standards. There may be appropriate lessons to learn from other countries, but their adoption must be assessed due to education and living standards variations. This paper aims to build an in-depth understanding of the stimulating factors for ICT innovations from Sweden, and examines their adoption in the context of a developing country, Sri Lanka. ICT innovations significantly impact development in other sectors, as they can ease doing business and other essential services. This study is based on seven interviews, including key people leading innovation activities in Sweden. Then, it critically analyses and presents the application of stimulating factors in Sweden to the context of a developing country, namely Sri Lanka. The results indicate that education and mindset, a risk-taking environment, embracing failures, digitalisation and collaboration are the critical determinants of ICT innovations in Sweden. This research is vital for educational policymakers in universities, technology transfer offices, and governmental policymakers.

The Technology Transfer Office (TTO): Toward a Viable Model for Universities in Morocco

The link between the enterprise and the university in Morocco is positioned within the framework of what is commonly known as the “University’s Third-Mission”. This relationship is primarily concerned with continued education, consultancy, collaborative research and development (R&D) and technology transfer from the university to the enterprise. This third mission has been promoted by the university through the establishment of specialized structures such as university enterprise interfaces, incubators and technological information centres for invention patents. Also, several strategies and programs of incentives for innovation have been promoted by the public authorities to create a national system of innovation in Morocco. However, all these efforts failed to unleash and activate the potential of Moroccan universities. In this work, we will propose an effective and efficient institutional Technology Transfer (TT) policy backed up by a complete repository related to the establishing of the University Technology Transfer Office (UTTO). This proposal complements the work done in a previous paper, which assesses the different policies and programs within Moroccan universities, related to TT activities, and proposes a remodelling of the value chain of the process of technology transfer in the universities.

The Efficiency of University Technology Transfer in China

Abstract There has been no significant improvement in China's comprehensive innovation capability over the past decade despite the country's tremendously large investment in research and development. This study uses a three-stage procedure (i.e., research innovation, experimental development, and value creation) to understand this disappointing outcome by estimating the efficiency of the technology transfer operating through major Chinese universities. We find a substantial decrease in the average level of efficiency across the three stages, with the value creation stage identified as the weakest link. An analysis of the determinants suggests that universities with better faculty quality, experienced technology transfer offices, more affiliated investment funds, and a comprehensive rather than specialized focus perform better in all three stages.

An inside-out perspective on stakeholder management in university technology transfer offices

This paper provides exploratory insight into the stakeholder management performed by the technology transfer offices (TTOs) of 5 Flemish universities. Based on the existing literature, applying an inside-out perspective, we investigate how TTOs try to define their stakeholders, which stakeholders they consider important in this regard, how they classify these stakeholders and, finally, what strategy TTOs apply to deal with their stakeholders. In the context of university TTOs, this research adds to the field of technology transfer, valorization and innovation by delving deeper into the stakeholder management dynamics from both a conceptual and a managerial perspective. The insights show that identifying, classifying & strategically approaching stakeholders is more ad hoc than structured or embedded for the approaches included in our study. The research shows that little use is made of definitions, classifications, or service-level strategy. Across universities, there is no structurally anchored strategic approach. The reasoning behind this approach is found in the dependency TTOs perceive in their relation to their stakeholders.

MESSAGE FROM AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY TO TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICES

Our study shows that technology transfer between Slovenian universities (or public research organisations) and Slovenian automotive industry is not sufficient. On one hand, technology transfer offices offer patented inventions for which automotive industry claims they have no value for them. On the other hand, the industry is seeking the help of (university) scientists to solve specific technical problems for inventions they propose and they could successfully commercialise, but unfortunately they often encounter unresponsiveness or rejection of their invitation. By conducting a focus group method where we confronted representatives of different groups, we have tried to find mutual solutions to this challenge. We claim that technology transfer offices have to be transformed in that way to attract direct industrial funding rather than purely focusing on commercialising results of ongoing research at universities or public research organisations.

Exclusive licensing of university technology: The effects of university prestige, technology transfer offices, and academy-industry collaboration

Exclusivity is a key concern when designing a licensing contract, yet the organizational factors that influence the exclusive provision of university licenses remain underexplored. This study provides a deeper understanding of this question by developing a balanced framework that considers both licensors (universities) and licensees (companies) in licensing deals. Furthermore, we posit that university prestige affects both a university's ability to conduct non-exclusive licensing and a firm's incentive to obtain an exclusive license, thereby shaping their joint willingness to license (non-)exclusively. We also examine how technology transfer office (TTO) experience and prior collaboration between a university and a firm moderate this relationship. To test the hypotheses, we use a dataset consisting of 6653 licensed patents owned by 117 representative Chinese universities. We find that an inverted U-shaped relationship exists between university prestige and the likelihood that two parties choose exclusive licensing. Moreover, the moderating effect of TTO experience is partially supported while that of prior collaboration is fully supported. Our findings generate important implications for the relative social impacts of exclusive and non-exclusive licensing of technology inventions as well as the management of university licensing.

Are Spanish TTOs Prepared to Innovation in a COVID Context?

The analysis of the characteristics of Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) is particularly important as they constitute mediating units in the relationship between the market and university research. They are responsible for the transfer and exploitation of knowledge arising in the university context. Previous studies have been inconclusive as to the importance that the size, professionalisation or age of TTOs might have on the transfer process. However, the need to explore new markets, recognise new opportunities and identify potential customers points to the importance of TTOs having a dual exploitative and exploratory orientation and an extensive relational network. More recent research in the literature, based on ambidexterity and network theory, points to the impact that these variables could have on change management and innovation in uncertain and changing environments, such as those faced by TTOs in the current pandemic context. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyse whether Spanish TTOs, due to their ambidextrous orientation at the organisational and individual level, and their relational network with academic and market actors, are prepared to promote innovation in a COVID-19 context. Based on a cluster analysis of 29 Spanish TTOs, our results show that just a few of the Spanish TTOs surveyed would be prepared, from the perspective of ambidexterity and their relational capital, to promote innovation in a COVID-19 context. In conclusion, Spanish TTOs and their employees should focus more on ambidexterity and building extensive relational capital so that, through mentoring, training, incubation or the provision of various resources, they can help academics take advantage of the innovation opportunities offered by the changing and uncertain environment.

Organizational responses in a rationalized institutional context

There is a growing research interest in the role of Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) in facilitating academic entrepreneurship (Clarysse et al., 2005; 2011; Wright et al., 2007). Extant scholarship has studied how TTOs influence entrepreneurial outcomes of university research via supporting patenting, licensing and spin-off activities. (Clarysse et al, 2011); establishing and overseeing intellectual property (IP) policies (Welsh et al. 2008; McAdam et al. 2017); and developing relationships with industry (Lee and Win 2004; Hsu et al. 2015; Miller et al. 2014; McAdam et al. 2017). TTO are therefore operating in increasingly rationalized yet complex institutional contexts, governed by prescriptions and expectations emerging from very diverse stakeholders, including the university, government and industry amongst others. These institutional contexts may not necessarily be considered effective by TTOs for achieving their objectives. There is very limited knowledge about the ways in which TTOs can cope with such contexts, although the evidence from elsewhere indicates that organizations may, for instance, choose to comply with practices that help them survive an institutionally demanding context, in spite of the fact that these practices do not align with the ends that the organizations are meant to serve (Bromley and Powell, 2012). Hence, the aim of this paper is to advance our understanding of TTO responses to highly rationalized institutional contexts, complicated by multiplicity of stakeholders, expectations and practices. We make several empirical and theoretical contributions. First, we provide systematic categorisation TTO responses within a complex and rationalized institutional environment. Second, we demonstrate how combination of several institutional dynamics matter in developing response strategies and associated tactics. Third, we develop policy insights for pertinent stakeholders, illuminating managerial challenges faced by TTOs when achieving top-down metrics.

Managing the Process of Turning Researchers into Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurs

Universities are increasingly engaged with a diverse set of activities, aimed at impacting the surrounding society, including starting firms based on research. But how do university incubators manage researchers? In this paper, the empirical setting is Sweden, where previous research suggests that the Swedish institutional context likely leads to a prioritization of commercialization by firm creation, rather than licensing or sales of IP. The reason is that the individual researcher owns all research outcomes in Sweden and not the university or state. Therefore, our paper explores how incubator and technology transfer office managers (hereafter innovation managers) reason when trying to manage researchers to reach the goal of creating knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial (KIE) firms. Two findings are of particular relevance for the literature. The first finding relates to how interviewed managers view researchers. Although expected from previous research, we provide more detailed understanding of why innovation managers perceive these researchers as being slow, less eager to start a business, and stuck on technical improvements, but also that their ideas are viewed as high-impact ones. Our second finding provides more detailed insights into how these managers developed a number of alternative paths to deal with researchers as potential entrepreneurs and still achieve commercialization. With or without the active participation of the researcher owning the ideas, we detail how these managers pursue two paths towards utilizing researchers’ ideas in order to impact society – namely actively seeking ways to start a KIE firm or actively seeking ways to transfer and distribute the ideas more widely.

University technology transfer offices in the post-covid-19 era

This paper investigates how University Technology Transfer Offices (UTTOs) adapt to support those in need due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We argue that UTTOs can support social enterprises and innovations within the university, even though these do not always pursue commercial purposes or depend on intellectual property (IP). To realize our paper's main objective, we use the theoretical lens of dynamic capabilities to develop our arguments in a qualitative study among UTTOs located in the COVID-19 most affected countries in Europe, North America, and Latin America. We carry out qualitative research on semi-structured interviews with officials from UTTOs and experts in the domain of innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship. We shed light on how university technology transfer offices understand, support, and promote commercial and non-commercial social innovations as well as entrepreneurial initiatives. Our findings suggest that universities' strategic vision and the intellectual property mechanisms available at UTTOs can be adapted to capture new forms of value brought to support social innovation and entrepreneurship to alleviate the pandemic catastrophic effects in society.

Towards a Robust Intellectual Property and Technology Commercialization Platform at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB): The Case of DOST-PCAARRD-funded Research Projects

An intellectual property (IP) audit was conducted among 212 research projects funded by the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and implemented by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) from 2010–2015. A total of 71 (33%) have the IP component only, while 17 (8%) have both IP and technology commercialization (TC) elements. Of the 17 research projects, 12 (71%) have undergone the technology readiness level (TRL) and are included in the 19 technologies funded by DOST-PCAARRD currently being prioritized by Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO) for IP rights (IPRs) protection and TC. Of these technologies, six have ongoing licensing agreements with the private sector, and another three are groomed for a spin-off. All nine have undergone fairness opinion board (FOB) examination, while the remaining 10 are in various stages of IP protection and commercialization. A notable surge in patent application occurred in the first three quarters of 2017 when 14 applications representing 33% of the total patent applications in the last 16 years were filed in the IP Office of the Philippines. As of 2012, with financial support from local and foreign funding, UPLB has produced more than 200 technologies ranging from agriculture and biotechnology to machinery and postharvest technology plus other allied fields. Included in the list are Sinta papaya, BIO-N, Mykovam, virgin coconut oil, and Trichoderma. Some of which have reached the international market earning substantial income for the university and its inventors and breeders principally through royalties ranging from 3–10 % of the licensee’s gross sales. Additional seven technologies funded by other government funding agencies ripe for commercialization are open to manufacturers, distributors, and research service agreements.

University–industry collaboration: constructing a business model lab for student venture creation

PurposeThe study aims to examine the development of student venture creation in a co-curricular business model lab initiative with collaboration between students, researchers, technology transfer offices (TTO) and industry. It presents a fresh approach to the study of student venture creation by discussing a unique co-curricular case, its embeddedness in a network and drawing on the concept of tension.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative, case-based research design is applied containing data from interviews, observations and active participation.FindingsThe findings point to the inherent difficulties in managing and organizing student venture creation and networks surrounding the student venture creation in a co-curricular setting that can lead to several different types of tensions. Episodes where task-, role-, process-, affective- and value-related tensions arise are identified. Furthermore, the findings highlight that affective-related tension is often an outcome of other types of tensions.Research limitations/implicationsOur theoretical implications point to the importance of the context of student venture creation, but not only regarding curricular and co-curricular initiatives; depending on the context, such as if student surrogate entrepreneurship is used, different types of support structure might also be needed to enable student venture creation.Originality/valueResearch on the entrepreneurial university has mainly focused on entrepreneurship education and ventures created by researchers. This study responds to recent calls for research on the venture creation of students. The limited research conducted on student venture creation can be divided between curricular and co-curricular initiatives. Our research points out that many other contextual factors are of importance, such as the origin of ideas, student surrogate entrepreneurship, industry collaboration, team formation and expectations.

Factors Influencing the Performance of Technology Transfer Offices: the Case of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities

Technology transfer offices (TTOs) play an important role in innovation ecosystems. There is a global strive to make these offices more efficient and improve their performance. This study aims to reason the key factors influencing the performance of TTOs at the members of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU). To reach this aim, the comparative literature review of the factors influencing the performance of the TTOs was performed first. The survey along with the semi-structured interviews interviewing leaders of the TTOs with the aim to validate the relevance of the factors was conducted afterwards. The discussion on the key factors influencing the performance of TTOs at ECIU members is presented at the end of the study. The study reveals the following as the key factors influencing the performance of TTOs at the ECIU network: i) TTO strategy; ii) relationships with investors; iii) networking; iv) functioning of a special TTO unit dedicated to working with industry; and v) business experience of TTO staff. It also brings an extension to the technology transfer literature by discussing organizational issues of technology transfer in the European context. The study reveals that the key factors influencing the performance of TTOs at ECIU members are quite similar regardless of the age of TTOs or the country of operation.

Economic and legal prospects of activation of science parks activity on the way to neoeconomics

Butnik-Siverskiy О. Economic and legal prospects of activation of science parks activity on the way to neoeconomics. The author researches and substantiates by generalizing the scientific points of view improving the legal regulation of the created science parks on the initiative of higher education institutionsand / or research institutions, taking into account the economic and legal prospect of intensifying their activities. National and foreign experience of science parks activity is considered. The content of using the founding agreement on creation of a science park and the agreement on partnership of business entities witha science park is provided. Problems that have not yet been resolved in the process of creating science parks and using innovative developments are noted. The classical content of entrepreneurship in innovation is provided and considered from the standpoint of clarifying the content of the innovation structure, which is based on the commercialization of intellectual property rights by their types, which is a part of the intellectual capital cycle with a corresponding effective result. There is substantiated the procedure of formation of the statutory capital of the science park, to which higher educational institutions and / or scientific institutions cannot use intellectual property rights to the objects, created at the expense of budgetary funds, but can only under the conclusion of a license agreement with business entity, having non-state and state form of ownership as transferred assets, which does not require the alienation of the object of intellectual property rights as part of intangible assets. It is proposed to use the target budget funds as the initial start-upcapital, which is provided on reverse terms to the state budget in case of closure (liquidation) of the science park by the decision of the founders or on the basis of a court decision. Alternatively, in the absence of target budget funds, it is proposed as a source of money to contribute to the statutory capital of the science park as a start-up capital to send part of the special fund of the state budget. It is justified the creation of a technology transfer office, which will be a structural unit of higher education institutions and / or research institutions, which will deal with the process of filing and reviewing a patent application and subsequent licensing. It isnoted that the science park can be the founder (co-founder) of small innovative enterprises and enter into partnership agreements with them for the implementation of certain innovative projects.Keywords: intellectual and innovation environment, science park, founding agreement, statutory capital, intellectual property rights, license agreement, legal status

Jamaican micro/small entrepreneurs: a comparative assessment of their motivations and problems

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the motivations and challenges faced by three groups of micro and small entrepreneurs in Jamaica, as well as factors that might contribute to their success. Success was operationally defined in the study as profit.Design/methodology/approachData from a survey of 192 micro and small entrepreneurs in the urban informal sector of Jamaica were used in the study. The design tracked a descriptive survey approach with multivariate analysis. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data with some open-ended flexible questions. The structured questionnaires with Likert-type items were used to increase the reliability and the validity of the responses obtained. The open-ended questions were used to gain a better understanding of the background and experience of the respondents and to allow for diverse reactions.FindingsResults showed that entrepreneurs are motivated by opportunities to create a job for themselves, to increase their income, to be their own boss and control their own destiny, to gain personal security, to acquire personal wealth and build equity for their retirement. Factors that are perceived critical for their success include working hard, displaying good customer service skills, increase in sales, attracting new customers and selling quality goods and services at competitive prices. Major business problems were identified as weak economy, low sales volume, lack of adequate capital, poor infrastructure, crime and violence and too much competition.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this research may lack generalizability because of the research approach, design and methodology.Practical implicationsImplications for policymakers, practice of entrepreneurship in Jamaica as well as information for the academic and research institutions are presented in the paper.Originality/valueThere are numerous management and economic issues that may be addressed by local and regional initiatives through this study. The government, other policy makers, profit and not-profit organizations may therefore need to look more closely at entrepreneurial education and training, advertising and promotion expertise, technology and other infrastructural development to better assist micro and small entrepreneurs. Additionally, leveraging the local academic, scientific and research base through the creation of technology transfer offices will be critical to entrepreneurial success.