University Technology Transfer Research Articles

Optimal Planning of University Technology Transfer Measures With FDANP-F-FlowSort and an Extended Multiobjective PROMETHEE V

This work offers an integrated methodological framework for decision support in planning the implementation of measures that address the barriers of university technology transfer. The planning problem consists of two parts: (1) identifying the high priority measures, and (2) optimally implementing these measures over a specified planning horizon subject to resource constraints. Treated as a multiple criteria sorting problem under uncertainty, the high priority measures are determined via fuzzy DEMATEL and ANP for evaluating the barriers, and the fuzzy FlowSort for classifying the priority of the various measures. Then, an extended multi-objective extension of the PROMETHEE V is offered to determine the degree of implementation of the high priority measures over multiple periods. Demonstrated in an actual case study with 29 identified measures under 24 previously known barriers, findings reveal six high priority measures, which include designing a sustained partnership, engaging in joint research ventures, establishing partnerships from international financial institutions, streamlining objectives to full support of the technology readiness levels, establishing a holistic system approach towards technology readiness levels, and establishing agreements to have access to the industry laboratory facilities. The implementation plan, represented as a set of Pareto optimal solutions, is obtained through the AUGMECON algorithm for the ϵ-constrained multi-objective linear programming formulation of the extended PROMETHEE V. A layer of sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the results to changes in the parameters. Finally, policy insights are provided to key decision-makers for advancing UTT.

Assessing differences between university and federal laboratory postdoctoral scientists in technology transfer

While there are numerous studies of university technology transfer, there have been relatively few studies of technology transfer at federal labs. Moreover, studies of university technology transfer have focused on faculty, not post-doctoral scientists. They have also ignored identity and sensemaking theories in organizational behavior, which are relevant in the context of technology transfer. We fill these gaps by examining differences between university post-doctoral scientists and federal lab post-doctoral scientists, in terms of how they engage in technology transfer. Our qualitative analysis is based on extensive interviews of post-doctoral scientists and their supervisors/principal investigators (PIs) at two major research universities and four large federal labs. We find that federal lab scientists are more influenced by mission-driven research and their sense of public service, as compared to university scientists who are motivated more by curiosity-driven research. These motivational differences may constitute significant barriers to technology transfer in federal labs. As compared to their university counterparts, federal lab scientists appear to experience more cognitive dissonance in pursuing commercialization of their research and have more sophisticated resolution strategies for dealing with such dissonance. We also find that PIs at federal labs are not highly incentivized to engage in technology transfer. We discuss additional research needs, as well as the managerial and training implications of our findings.

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 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.

Evaluating the Intertwined Relationships of the Drivers for University Technology Transfer

Universities are the best places to gather knowledge and innovation, but the basis of technological development lies in talented R&D personnel who provide services to enterprise R&D activities, research institutions, and universities. Universities also gather many elites who cultivate talent for the country. However, universities do not have adequate technology transfer experience and do not network in industrial circles, which results in a huge gap between the concept and the practical result. This research determined the critical success factors and explored the causal relationships influencing the technology transfer from universities. We found that the main impact of the key factors was the technology market dimension. University technology transfer activities had to be classified as top priority. Technology industrial applicability was the main key evaluation factor, along with inventor attitude. In the organizational culture dimension, the attitude and ability of top management were the main evaluation factors. We attempted to draw upon our analysis results to make recommendations related to technology transfer to assist universities in successfully transferring their research results.

Factors Affecting Technology Transfer of Universities in the LINC (Leaders in Industry-University Cooperation) Program of Korea

The purpose of our study was to propose the measures necessary to promote industry-academic cooperation by investigating and analyzing factors affecting its performance Recently, the Korean government increased the budget available for industry-academic cooperation to help nurture industrial talent and promote industry-academic cooperation. In our study, the results of industry-academic cooperation for 48 universities that carried out the 5-year LINC development project from 2012 to 2016 were analyzed via panel analysis to identify any factors affecting the performance. Our analysis revealed that the organizational capabilities of the university—including the number of dedicated professors, the number of projects assigned, and the financial support—had a significant effect on technical commercialization. In addition, we found that the moderating effect of allied companies on the relationship between the organizational capabilities of universities and their technical commercialization was significant. However, the results of our analysis differed depending on university location. Universities in and around the Capital region benefited from their organizational capabilities and cooperation with allied companies. Based on the results of the analysis, we conclude that it is necessary to consider a variety of factors, including efficient support of the industry-academic cooperation budget and practical application of industry-academic cooperation systems.

Does social trust stimulate university technology transfer? Evidence from China.

This paper examines the effect of social trust on university technology transfer. A large sample of Chinese universities from the 2007–2017 period was used. We find that social trust facilitates university technology transfer. The finding remain valid after a series of robustness. The mechanism test shows that social trust facilitates university technology transfer by improving the level of university-industry cooperative innovation. Our study suggests that social trust is an important factor that affects university technology transfer.

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.

Assessing differences between university and federal lab postdoc scientists in technology transfer

Although there are numerous studies of university technology transfer, there have been relatively few recent studies of technology transfer at federal labs. Studies of university technology transfer have also focused on faculty, not post-doctoral scientists and ignored identity and sensemaking theories in organizational behavior, which are relevant in the context of technology transfer. We fill these gaps by analyzing differences between university scientists and federal lab scientists, in terms of how they engage in technology transfer. Based on extensive interviews of postdoctoral scientists and their supervisors/principal investigators (PIs) at two major research universities and four large federal labs, we find that federal lab scientists are more influenced by mission-driven research and their sense of public service. These motivational differences may constitute significant barriers to technology transfer. Thus, federal lab scientists experience more cognitive dissonance in pursuing commercialization of their research and have more sophisticated resolution strategies than their university counterparts. Principal investigators at federal labs are also not highly incentivized to engage in technology transfer.

Hot Analysis and Development Trends of Technology Transfer Research in Universities At Home and Abroad

In this paper, Citespace was used to perform bibliometrics analysis of 3437 journal papers in the field of technology transfer research from 1985 to 2020 included in WOS and CNKI database. The results showed that the quantities of relevant literature on technology transfer in domestic universities has been developing gradually since 2005 and drives to maturity stage. From the perspective of research institutions, Tsinghua University has become an important institution in the field of technology transfer research in colleges and universities. Developed countries such as the United States, Britain, Germany and Italy are still the dominant subjects of technology transfer in colleges and universities, but China has surpassed Germany and Italy and become a major front for technology transfer research of universities. Future research emphasis of technology transfer of universities in China is still mainly about technology transfer performance，academic entrepreneurship, and patent. It is of great significance to promote the internationalization of technology transfer to give full play to the advantages of domestic first-class universities, actively conduct interdisciplinary studies and optimize the external environment of technology transfer.

Coupling Coordination between Technology Transfer in Universities and High-Tech Industries Development in China

Only through successful transformation and application in industries, technology achievements in universities can promote economic and social development. Meanwhile, technological progress in high-tech industries depends in part on universities’ technology achievements. Coupling coordination between technology transfer in universities (TTU) and high-tech industries development (HTID) is of great significance to the sustainable development of the regional sci-tech innovation system. In this paper, the coupling mechanism of TTU and HTID is analyzed and comprehensive evaluation index systems are established by using the evaluation indicator to screen and assign weights based on information contribution rate. The coupling coordination index (CCI) and productivity index (PI) are introduced to derive the spatiotemporal characteristics of the coupling and coordination of TTU and HTID from 2010 to 2019 in China and analyze its influence factors by System-Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM). The results show the following: (1) the overall national TTU-HTID CCI shows a gradual upward trend and large regional differences; (2) CCI of most provinces is increasing, but the differences are widening; (3) the national TTU PI is in a state of volatility and decline, but the ability of TTU is still much higher than the level of HTID; (4) technological innovation in high-tech industries, high-tech industry technology absorption capacity, high-tech industry development level, industry-university cooperation, and technological finance development have significant roles in promoting the coupling coordination of TTU-HTID. Meanwhile, the sci-tech innovation level in universities, technology transferability in universities, government support, development of sci-tech intermediary, and development of other research institutions have no significant impact.

Impact of Self-Regulated Learning on Entrepreneurial Opportunity Recognition and Academic Entrepreneurship Performance

The ratio of academic scientists to the labor force in Malaysia has increased. However, the contribution of academic scientists to commercialize research discoveries remains limited. Successful research commercialization or university technology transfer requires entrepreneurial effort that may involve skills beyond the traditional roles of academics. The ability to identify the commercial opportunity of research, i.e. entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, has been proven to be a critical skill for an academic entrepreneur. Earlier findings in this area would have been far more useful if the antecedents of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition were recognized. Although self-regulated learning has been inferred to as informal entrepreneurship education for academic entrepreneurs, there has been a lack of evidence on how it influences their academic entrepreneurship performance. This paper examined the characteristics of academic entrepreneurs and the key success factors, whether academics’ opportunity recognition ability is influenced by their self-regulated learning behavior. A quantitative research design was employed based on a case study of a technological university in Malaysia involving 115 academic entrepreneurs. Structural equation modeling analysis results revealed that academics’ opportunity recognition and social capital are the most important determinants of their academic entrepreneurship performance. The efficiency of the Technology Transfer Office and the ease of securing funding play influential roles too, but to a smaller extent. Most importantly, opportunity recognition is strengthened by self-regulated learning, through frequent deliberate practices in information and knowledge seeking that enable scientists to be more creative and innovative in translating research into marketable products and technology.

University Technology Transfer Network Structure Development: Education and Research Quality Issues

The article analyzes the main models of technology transfer in Europe, the USA, Japan and China. The national legislative base in the technology transfer sphere is analyzed. The main reasons for successful (at a systematic level) mechanisms of the technologies transfer are determined. Leading tendencies of technology transfer development in leading countries are presented. The necessity of creating technology transfer centers at universities as a place of the state intellectual potential concentration is substantiated. Authors propose ways for increasing technology transfer efficiency based on the complex approach to promote scientific research results.

An Income Model Using Historical Data, Power-Law Distributions and Monte Carlo Method for University Technology Transfer Offices

Engineering education pushes the creation of new technology to solve community problems. The process of technology transfer promotes educational innovation in universities, a vital process that can improve citizens’ quality of life in cities and rural communities. As a result, university technology transfer offices (TTOs) have to create strategies that motivate students and researchers to generate technology. Thus, a primary challenge that TTOs face is to know and communicate the income potential compared to their much more predictable and limited expense budgets. Institutional budgeting for a TTO’s growth would be simplified if the office were on a solid financial footing, i.e., breaking even or making a financial return. Many offices assume that income is unpredictable, that it is a lottery, luck, and more stakes in the fire improve the odds of hitting a winner, etc. These common assumptions or beliefs provide only a vague insight into how to move an intellectual property (IP) portfolio strategy forward. How can a TTO be assessed for quantitative value and not just be a cost center adding qualitative value? This paper illustrates the first steps to understanding how to project potential income versus a much more predictable expense budget, which would allow universities to improve their technology transfer strategy and results. As a result, TTOs would operate under a more sustainable IP portfolio strategy, promote educational innovation in universities, and generate a more significant community impact.

Benchmarking university technology transfer performance with external research funding: a stochastic frontier analysis

Many universities engage in academic entrepreneurship, often with funding from external sources. Benchmarking technology transfer performance with external research funding can help universities identify and learn from peers that may possess strategic advantages in productivity. It also can be key for organizational learning and for communicating organizational performance to policy stakeholders and industry partners. In this study, we construct a unique dataset by linking two important data sources, AUTM and UMETRICS, and use stochastic frontier analysis to benchmark university licensing and revenue performance with different federal funding streams. Our empirical results suggest that universities looking to promote commercialization performance might look to National Science Foundation funding, and the universities best at production (i.e., licensing technologies and generating patents) with external funding are not necessarily the best at capturing benefits from generating revenue from entrepreneurial activity and launching start-ups. Our study points to the importance of the differential advantages of sources of federal research funding and offers implications for policy makers and university administrators.

Licensing life: The evolution of Stanford university's technology transfer practice

The purpose of this article is to deepen knowledge about Stanford University technology transfer and academic entrepreneurship. Technology transfer, including venture creation, is central to an iconic entrepreneurial university's development. Comparative case study, utilizing interviews, archival research and participant observation, conducted over the past 35 years, depict the phases of Stanford University's technology transfer practice, informal and formal. A self-organizing entrepreneurial ideology, deriving from serial entrepreneurs’ successes, impeded improvement. Recognizing underutilized potential, Stanford faculty and students undertook bottom-up initiatives, integrating research, education and entrepreneurship, creating support structures to fill entrepreneurship gaps. The Stanford-Silicon Valley (university-region) relationship exemplifies a broader entrepreneurial academic transformation, taking place at different rates, in various formats, in the US and globally. Different levels of external and internal support are required for different types of regions and academics at various levels of technology transfer interest and capabilities. A future trend is projected.

A micro level investigation of stakeholder motives on university technology transfer business models

ABSTRACT Within this paper, we take a micro level perspective to explore how ecosystem stakeholder motives have impacted value creation and value capture processes within the University Technology Transfer (UTT) business model over time. To achieve this, we adopt a longitudinal qualitative methodology comprising of case study evidence of two differing bounded contexts of universities and their respective UTT stakeholder-based business models over an eight-year period. Our findings reveal, that in seeking to balance and align the value creation and capture processes needed to satisfy diverse stakeholders and achieve university mission, the importance of portfolio models within UTT business model design to ensure ongoing strategic alignment and sustainability.

The new inclusive role of university technology transfer: Setting an agenda for further research

Universities are coming under increasing pressure to produce impact that contributes to socio-economic development. Previous studies have focused on university technology transfer (UTT) mechanisms that lead to the commercialisation of intellectual property. We find that off-late, the legitimacy of such mechanisms, owing to high-failure rates of IP-based start-ups, has come into question. Universities are being invited to widen their academic entrepreneurship (AE) practices to include other forms of knowledge transfer. The increased attention on contemporary concepts such as social entrepreneurship calls for broadening UTT performance indicators to include multiple bottom-lines. These bottom-lines should amplify the societal benefits of AE. This new emphasis raises high-level questions about the societal role of universities and UTT. The aim in this paper is to, therefore, reframe the debate on UTT processes by highlighting a revised agenda for further research. This is done by analysing the extant literature on UTT, academic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial universities and innovation. The analysis includes a critical review of 96 peer-reviewed articles. As a result, a macro perspective is presented which highlights UTT as-a-mechanism for universities’ contribution to collective societal goals. Propositions are outlined for future research; these can be used for developing new understanding on how universities can actively contribute to socio-economic development agendas.