Open Transfer: Ergebnisse des BMBF-geförderten Verbundprojektes zu Wissenschaft-Wirtschaft-Kooperationen in den Branchen Mikroelektronik, Optik sowie Mobilität und Verkehr

Digitalisierung und neue Innovationszyklen stellen wissensintensive Branchen vor große Herausforderungen. Neue Innovationsstrategien und neue Geschäftsmodelle ersetzen konventionelle Wertschöpfungsmuster. Der daraus resultierende Veränderungsdruck betrifft sowohl die interne Wissensproduktion von Unternehmen als auch ihre Forschungs- und Innovationskooperationen mit externen Forschungseinrichtungen: Die Aufgabenprofile und Anforderungen an die Forschungs- und Entwicklungsabteilungen verändern sich, der Stellenwert externen Wissens nimmt zu und alternative Formen der Kooperation gewinnen an Bedeutung. Das Projekt „Open Transfer“ hat sich in zwei Fallstudien mit der Frage beschäftigt, wie sich die Wertschöpfungsketten und die FuE-Kooperationen zwischen Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen verändern. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse beschreiben etablierte und innovative Kooperationspraktiken und zeigen aktuelle Herausforderungen. Die Analyse verdeutlicht den gegenwärtigen und zunehmenden Stellenwert der engen Zusammenarbeit unterschiedlicher Akteure in Innovationsökosystemen

Open Transfer: Ergebnisse des BMBF-geförderten Verbundprojektes zu Wissenschaft-Wirtschaft-Kooperationen in den Branchen Mikroelektronik, Optik sowie Mobilität und Verkehr

Digitalisierung und neue Innovationszyklen stellen wissensintensive Branchen vor große Herausforderungen. Neue Innovationsstrategien und neue Geschäftsmodelle ersetzen konventionelle Wertschöpfungsmuster. Der daraus resultierende Veränderungsdruck betrifft sowohl die interne Wissensproduktion von Unternehmen als auch ihre Forschungs- und Innovationskooperationen mit externen Forschungseinrichtungen: Die Aufgabenprofile und Anforderungen an die Forschungs- und Entwicklungsabteilungen verändern sich, der Stellenwert externen Wissens nimmt zu und alternative Formen der Kooperation gewinnen an Bedeutung. Das Projekt „Open Transfer“ hat sich in zwei Fallstudien mit der Frage beschäftigt, wie sich die Wertschöpfungsketten und die FuE-Kooperationen zwischen Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen verändern. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse beschreiben etablierte und innovative Kooperationspraktiken und zeigen aktuelle Herausforderungen. Die Analyse verdeutlicht den gegenwärtigen und zunehmenden Stellenwert der engen Zusammenarbeit unterschiedlicher Akteure in Innovationsökosystemen

Tool zur Entwicklung passgenauer Transferstrategien : vier empirische Studien zu Hemmnissen und organisationalen Praktiken zur Förderung von wissenschaftlichem Unternehmertum und dem Wissens- und Technologietransfer

An effective knowledge and technology transfer (KTT) process is essential for the competitiveness and sustainability of national innovation systems. On both a national and European level, ever more is being done by various stakeholders for the benefit of transfer—and in particular academic entrepreneurship as a specific dimension thereof—as a research institution’s third mission alongside research and teaching. However, many research institutions still lack systematic transfer strategies that are tailored to their individual needs. This deficiency in strategic planning translates to unsatisfactory performance among German research institutes in the field of KTT and academic entrepreneurship in particular (The German Council of Science and Humanities, 2016). In seeking to address the above-mentioned deficiency, this thesis draws on four empirical studies (Part B of the thesis) to analyze constraints impacting scientists’ active engagement in academic entrepreneurship, as well as organizational practices that help reduce such constraints. To this end, all four empirical studies follow qualitative social research approaches that allow in-depth analysis of subtle mechanisms in transfer and academic entrepreneurship. Drawing on this analysis, the aim of the thesis is to derive recommendations which can help research institutions develop individually tailored transfer strategies with a particular focus on facilitating academic entrepreneurship. Using the findings of the four empirical studies, six key elements underlying a successful transfer strategy have been derived and integrated into a framework. These key elements are: (1) goal and resources, (2) communication, (3) teambuilding, (4) actions (initiatives and services), (5) networks (organizational infrastructure and external partnerships) and (6) incentive systems. With the aid of central questions that have been developed on the basis of the empirical findings, research institutes can obtain guidelines on creating individual, needs-oriented transfer strategies in terms of each of these six elements, thus fostering entrepreneurial attitudes and a transfer-friendly organizational culture. The six key aspects and respective questions are visually presented in the form of an easily understandable illustrative tool, designed to facilitate the implementation of the practical measures recommended in this thesis: the “Transfer Strategy Framework”. At the same time, the tool itself constitutes the thesis’ own transfer product. The findings are then discussed against the background of current shifts and new dynamics and relationships among stakeholders within innovation ecosystems. Ultimately, the thesis indicates aspects of potential future research with regard to the mechanisms of transfer and academic entrepreneurship, highlighting the relevance of multiple perspectives and the interaction of various actors within an innovation system.Ein effektiver Wissens- und Technologietransfer (WTT) ist essentiell für die Wettbewerbs- und Zukunftsfähigkeit nationaler Innovationssysteme. Zwar wachsen die Bemühungen unterschiedlicher Stakeholder auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene, den Transfer von Forschung in die Gesellschaft – insbesondere in Form von akademischen Ausgründungen – zu stärken, doch verfügen Forschungsinstitutionen häufig noch nicht über systematische Transferstrategien, die passgenau auf ihre Bedarfe zugeschnitten sind. Dieses strategische Defizit resultiert in unbefriedigenden Transferleistungen deutscher Forschungseinrichtungen (The German Council of Science and Humanities, 2016). Dieses Strategiedefizit adressierend, untersucht die vorliegende Dissertationsschrift anhand von vier empirischen Studien zunächst Hemmnisse, die dem Engagement von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern in unternehmerischen Transferaktivitäten entgegenwirken, und organisationale Praktiken, wie diese Hemmnisse zu reduzieren sind. Um sich dem Untersuchungsgegenstand zu nähern und Wirkmechanismen im Transfer eingehend zu untersuchen, werden in den vier empirischen Studien Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung angewandt. Basierend auf dieser Analyse ist es Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertationsschrift, Empfehlungen zu formulieren, die Forschungsorganisationen helfen, individuell passgenaue Transferstrategien zu entwickeln und so insbesondere das unternehmerische Handeln der Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler zu stärken. Aus den Forschungsergebnissen werden sechs Schlüsselelemente abgeleitet, die einer erfolgreichen Transferstrategie zugrunde liegen sollten. Die Schlüsselelemente lauten: (1) Zieldefinition und Ressourcen, (2) Kommunikation, (3) Team-building, (4) Aktivitäten (Unterstützungsleistungen und Initiativen), (5) Netzwerkbildung (Infrastruktur und externe Partnerschaften), (6) Anreizsysteme. Mithilfe der entwickelten Leitfragen erhalten Forschungsinstitute Anhaltspunkte, wie sie ihre Transferstrategie in jedem dieser Schlüsselelemente individuell und bedarfsorientiert ausrichten und das unternehmerische Denken und Handeln an ihren Organisationen stärken können. Die sechs Schlüsselelemente und die jeweiligen Leitfragen werden als übersichtliches Tool visuell dargestellt (das „Transfer Strategy Framework“). Dieses Tool stellt somit seinerseits das Transferprodukt der vorliegenden Dissertationsschrift dar und soll die Anwendung der abgeleiteten Handlungsempfehlungen erleichtern. Die Ergebnisse werden vor dem Hintergrund aktueller Verschiebungen und neuer Akteurskonstellationen in Innovationsökosystemen diskutiert. Es werden neue Forschungsaspekte zu Wirkmechanismen in Transfer und akademischem Entrepreneurship aufgezeigt, die die Relevanz von Perspektivenvielfalt und Interaktionen unterschiedlicher Akteure im Innovationssystem beleuchten

Promoting Entrepreneurial Commitment: The Benefits of Interdisciplinarity

This article is the first to examine the relationship between interdisciplinarity and entrepreneurial commitment in academic spin-offs. Building on literature on interdisciplinarity, academic entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial intention, we analyzed the development of nine interdisciplinary spin-off teams comprising expertise from science, industry, and design. Our findings suggest that interdisciplinary teams engage with their ideas, maintain productive interaction, and successfully implement these ideas. Subjects in this study thoroughly developed their project proposals and implementation strategies by examining them from multiple angles. They believed not only in the value of these projects, but in their own ability to see them through. They found one another’s contributions highly inspirational and experienced a strong sense of responsibility and motivation. Communication within the teams was well managed, and tasks were clearly defined and distributed. Based on our findings, we put forward a number of propositions about the positive effects of interdisciplinarity on entrepreneurial commitment and conclude with implications for future research and practice

Design and academic entrepreneurship: The role of design in spin-off processes

This paper investigates how design contributes to the development of entrepreneurial competencies at academic spin-off teams. Building on the entrepreneurial competency framework of Rasmussen et al. (2011), we analysed eight start-up teams composed of people with expertise in design, the natural sciences and business management. Our study shows that design supports the start-up process on both a conceptual and transformational level. By enhancing user research and by facilitating ideation processes and early testing of ideas, design helps in identifying business opportunities. Through its ability to further vision building and experience creation, design can strengthen championing competencies. Furthermore, design contributes to resource acquisition through the use of prototypes and mock-ups that make ideas more tangible. The propositions we derive from our study can serve to guide future research, while also carrying practical implications

Uncovering transfer - a cross-national comparative analysis

Purpose – Successful knowledge and technology transfer (KTT) is necessary to ensure the competitiveness and growth of national innovation systems. In this regard, technology transfer offices (TTOs) are becoming indispensable in their capacity as intermediaries between science, policy, industry, and the public. The purpose of this paper is to examine the strategies and operations of particularly productive transfer offices in five different countries in order to account for the high levels of transfer activity. Design/methodology/approach – To this end, the authors interviewed 34 senior KTT managers in these offices. The collected protocols were analysed in three phases. First, the authors extracted and organised the key characteristics of the transfer practices by applying rigorous method of open-end, qualitative content analysis. The authors then enhanced the thus gathered descriptive statistics and ultimately developed a transfer office typology by building on the concept of attribute space. Findings – The analysis suggests two ideal types of transfer offices, distinguishable in terms of their intertwined characteristics such as their goals, practices, sources of income, and positions within their associated organisations. While the primarily state-funded common good type would seek benefits to the public, the self-financed entrepreneurial type would pursue commercial success. The former would therefore create opportunities for disseminating knowledge and strengthening the local innovation ecosystem, while the latter would scout for promising ideas and cultivate relationships with industry. Originality/value – The goal was to uncover the individual characteristics of the offices under study, and the relationships between these characteristics, that can help explain these offices’ exceptional productivity. This study is the first to propose a TTO typology, which can support interorganisational and international transfer collaboration. The findings provide empirical evidence for the theoretical Quadruple Helix model of the innovation system and have implications for research and practice

Entrepreneurship and academic employment - More alike than you'd think

Recognising the increasing value of knowledge and technology transfer, the scientific and political communities in Germany have recently devoted much attention to academic entrepreneurship. Seeking to explore similarities and differences between academic employment and entrepreneurship, we interviewed 112 postdoctoral students from the four major German research organisations and 16 senior transfer managers whose responsibilities included spin-off facilitation. Our findings indicate that those involved in such occupations often believe that academic employment and entrepreneurship differ substantially on many levels. Both interviewed senior managers and postdoctoral students considered engaging in commercialisation activities to be a risky and serious undertaking and a significant career change. Simultaneously, the opinions and observations of postdoctoral students helped us identify a wide range of similarities between academic employment and entrepreneurship. Our find ings can help make entrepreneurship more accessible to researchers, re-define the boundaries between scientific and commercial activities, and, ultimately, foster knowledge and technology transfer

Gender-specific constraints on academic entrepreneurship and engagement in knowledge and technology transfer

This article analyzes gender-specific constraints impacting scientists’ engagement in knowledge and technology transfer and entrepreneurial activities at public research institutions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To this end, we followed an exploratory case study approach and conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 40 academic entrepreneurs. The analysis revealed constraints impacting scientists’ active engagement in transfer and entrepreneurship on two levels. On the meta-level, we identified constraints related to: i) nationwide transfer culture and ii) funding guidelines and structures. On the operational level, we identified constraints related to: i) organizational strategies and practices; ii) organizational culture; and iii) individual attributes and attitudes. By analyzing gender differences among these constraints, the study contributes to an understanding of varying needs for gender-specific founding support programs. The study also derives several implications for managing transfer at research organizations