Knowledge Transfers between Canadian Business Enterprises and Universities: Does Distance Matter?

This study examines whether the transfer of knowledge flows from universities to enterprises in Canada is hampered by the geographical distance that separates them. The transfer of knowledge flows are measured by the amount of R&D payments from business enterprises to universities that are directly reported in Statistics Canada's survey on Research and Development in Canadian Industry. We use data from the 1997 to 2001 surveys. After controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity, selection bias as well as for other covariates that could affect the extent of industry-university R&D transactions such as absorptive capacity, foreign control, belonging to the same province, past experience with a given university and other firm and university characteristics, it is found that a 10% increase in distance decreases the proportion of total R&D paid to a university by 1.4 percent for enterprises that do not report any codified transfer of knowledge flow, and by half as much for enterprises that report codified knowledge flows.knowledge transfer, university-industry relationships, codified knowledge, tacit knowledge, spatial proximity

Knowledge transfer mechanisms of University-Industry collaboration: an empirical analysis of the biotechnology industry

This study aims to adopt the transaction cost economics, resource-based theory, and social exchange theory to theoretically analyse university-industry knowledge transfer activities and their determinants and consequences. Four mechanisms are identified for university-industry knowledge transfer, namely equity-based transfer, research contract-based transfer, general contract-based transfer, and relation-based transfer. These determinants are examined in three categories, namely, resource factors, resource dependency and complementarities, and transaction cost factors. The sample was gathered from 145 Taiwanese biotechnology firms, and the results indicate that collaboration with a university improves a firm ’s knowledge transfer performance in terms o f knowledge acquisition, knowledge generation, and commercial success. Relation-based transfer and general contract-based transfer are the most effective ways in which to transfer knowledge, and these are followed by research contract-based transfer, and equity-based transfer respectively. Furthermore, the empirical results illustrate that not all types o f resources contribute to university-industry knowledge transfer activities and knowledge transfer performance. A firm’s resources are found to be useful for the formation o f collaboration, and a university’s resources are beneficial for improving knowledge transfer performance, particularly when they have more knowledge resources and organisational resources. Technology transfer office resources and the relationship resources o f universities and firms facilitate an equity-based transfer and improve the performance o f knowledge transfer. Flowever, the greater property-based resources o f a university and a firm do not generate more university-industry knowledge transfer activities and a better knowledge transfer performance. A university’s greater property-based resources can even decrease the knowledge transfer performance. In addition, it was found that knowledge asset specificity and market uncertainty are related to the formation o f a relation-based transfer, general contract-based transfer, and research contract-based transfer. However, resource dependency and resource complementarity do not appear to have an effect on facilitating university-industry knowledge transfer activities and knowledge transfer performance

Academic patent value and knowledge transfer in the UK. Does patent ownership matter?

This paper deals with an issue which is particularly relevant in the literature on IPR and university-industry knowledge transfer: is the ownership structure of academic inventions relevant for patent quality and the efficiency of the knowledge transfer process? This question is also particularly signi�cant in Europe where some countries have followed the Bayh-Dole Act example to increase the involvement level of universities in IP management. The paper uses a novel dataset of academic inventors in the UK, which includes university patents (i.e. patents owned by universities) and corporate patents (i.e. patents signed by academic scientists but owned by private companies) in the period 1990-2001. The UK is an interesting case to study due to the tradition of university involvement in IP management as it was one of the fi�rst countries to implement the university ownership model. The main results may be summarised as follows. (1) Controlling for observable patent and scientist characteristics, corporate patents received more citations than university patents in the �first three years after fi�ling, but (2) this difference is less signi�cant when considering a longer time window. However, (3) there is no knowledge fertilisation across public (university) and private institutions: university patents mainly cite other university patents and the same reasoning applies to corporate patents. Moreover (4) knowledge fl�ows from university patents are even more geographically localised than those from corporate patents. Finally, (5) among scientists� characteristics, professor�'s scientifi�c quality and his patenting experience seem to be correlated with patent value. From a policy prospective, the results in points (1), (2) and (3) cast some doubts on the role of university ownership as an instrument to foster and facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and industry and raise serious questions about the effect of policies towards increasing the role of technology transfer offices in managing academic patents.Academic patent; Patent value; Citations

How do Public Laboratories Collaborate with Industry? New Survey Evidence from France.

This paper uses a survey of 130 public laboratories in France to investigate collaborative activities of laboratories with industry. Our statistical analysis shows that knowledge and technology development and transfer occurs most frequently through collaborative and contract research, informal exchanges, conferences, and consortia. The main benefits from the perspective of laboratories are the tangible and intangible inputs received –funds, materials, research suggestions and data. The outputs of collaboration are most often theses and publications along with technological artefacts (new products & processes, software) while patents, licenses and copyrights are less frequent. Collaboration with industry leads laboratories to conduct research in a more timely and reliable way, as well as focused in more applied areas.Economics of Science; Public-Private Research Partnerships; Knowledge and Technology Transfer; University-Industry Collaborations; France;

R&D and knowledge dynamics in university-industry relationships in biotech and pharmaceuticals: An agent-based model

In the last two decades, University-Industry Relationships have played an outstanding role in shaping innovation activities in Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals. Despite the growing importance and the considerable scope of these relationships, there still is an intensive and open debate on their short and long term effects on the research system in life sciences. So far, the extensive literature on this topic has not been able to provide a widely accepted answer. This work introduces a new way to analyse University-Industry Relationships (UIRs) which makes use of an agent-based simulation model. With the help of simulation experiments and the comparison of different scenario results, new insights on the effects of these relationships on the innovativeness of the research system can be gained. In particular, focusing on knowledge interactions among heterogeneous actors, we show that: (i) universities tend to shift from a basic to an applied research orientation as a consequence of relationships with industry, (ii) universities' innovative capabilities benefit from industry financial resources but not so much from cognitive resources of the companies, (iii) biotech companies' innovative capabilities largely benefit from the knowledge interaction with universities and (iv) adequate policies in terms of public basic research funding can contrast the negative effects of UIRs on university research orientation. --University-Industry Relationships,Knowledge Dynamics,University Patenting,Technology Transfer,Agent-Based Modelling

Knowledge Transfer from Universities to Industry Through University Technology Transfer Offices

Introduction. This paper focuses on knowledge generation and the way in which it is transferred from universities to industry. Most well reputed universities have several departments and university-run enterprises that engage in research. The purpose of these research units is to help universities provide breakthrough innovation through the generation of new knowledge. Problem Statement. For this we chose to study China's University Technology Transfer Offices (UTTOs) to gather concrete evidence of university knowledge generation for commercial use in industry. The objective of this study is get indepth information about the role of UTTOs in the transfer of such knowledge. Purpose. The generation of new knowledge contributes to the field of science and technology; in turn, industry can use this knowledge to produce new innovative products or improve existing ones. This study aims to identify the process of knowledge transfer from universities to industry in China. Materials and Methods. Our study was carried out as a qualitative case study in the Anhui province of China. Data was mainly collected through semi-structured interviews with technology transfer experts working in technology transfer offices. Collected data were analyzed using a knowledge transfer model with six phases: 1) awareness, 2) acquisition, 3) transformation, 4) association, 5) application, and 6) feedback. Results. In China, universities and their research groups dominate in the generation and commercialization of research results, with UTTOs acting as technology bridges between the two parties, as well as providing legal and business services. Conclusions. This paper contributes by offering a detailed description of the knowledge transfer process and specifically the role and activities of UTTOs. This research also helps Chinese and international researchers currently carrying out research on the technology transfer process in China.Вступ. Висвітлено питання генерації знань та способу їх передачі від університетів у промисловість. Найвідоміші університети мають кілька департаментів та підприємств, які займаються дослідженнями. Мета цих підрозділів полягає в тому, щоб допомогти університетам забезпечити інноваційні рішення шляхом створення нових знань. Проблематика. Генерація нових знань сприяє розвитку галузі науки та техніки, які, у свою чергу, використовуються промисловістю для виробництва нових інноваційних продуктів або вдосконалення вже існуючих. На прикладі роботи департаментів трансферу технологій (ДТТ) в університетах Китаю вивчено роботу та зібрано конкретні факти генерації знань для комерційного використання в промисловості. Мета. Отримання детальної інформації про роль ДТТ у передачі знань від університетів до промисловості в Китаї. Матеріали та методи. Дослідження проведено в китайській провінції Аньхой (Аньхуей). Збір даних виконували за допомогою напівструктурованих інтерв’ю з фахівцями з передачі технологій, які працюють в офісах департаментів передачі технологій. В подальшому їх аналізували за допомогою моделі передачі знань, яка передбачає шість етапів: поінформованість, придбання, перетворення, зв’язок ідей, застосування та зворотній зв’язок. Результати. Університети Китаю та їх дослідницькі групи домінують у виробництві та комерціалізації результатів досліджень, а ДТТ відіграють роль технологічних мостів між двома сторонами, а також надають юридичні та бізнес-послуги. Висновки. Стаття містить детальний опис процесу передачі знань та, зокрема, висвітлює роль та діяльність ДТТ Китаю, що може бути корисним китайським та міжнародним науковцям у проведенні досліджень процесу передачі технологій.Введение. Раскрыто вопрос генерации знаний и способа их передачи от университетов в промышленность. Самые известные университеты имеют несколько департаментов и предприятий, которые занимаются исследованиями. Цель этих подразделений лежит в том, чтобы помочь университетам обеспечить инновационные решения путем создания новых знаний. Проблематика. Генерация новых знаний способствует развитию отрасли науки и техники, которые, в свою очередь, используются промышленностью для производства новых инновационных продуктов или усовершенствования уже существующих. На примере работы департаментов трансфера технологий (ДТТ) в университетах Китая изучено работу и собрано конкретные факты генерации знаний для коммерческого использования в промышленности. Цель. Получение детальной информации о роли ДТТ в передаче знаний от университетов к промышленности в Китае. Материалы и методы. Исследование проведено в китайской провинции Аньхой (Аньхуей). Сбор данных производили с помощью полуструктурированных интервью специалистов с передачи технологий, которые работают в офисах департаментов передачи технологий. В дальнейшем их анализировали с помощью модели передачи знаний, которая предусматривает шесть этапов: информированность, получение, преобразование, связь идей, использование и обратная связь. Результаты. Университеты Китая и их исследовательские группы доминируют в производстве и коммерциализации результатов исследований, а ДДТ играют роль технологических мостов между двумя сторонами, а также предлагают юридические и бизнес-услуги. Выводы. Статья содержит детальное описание процесса передачи знаний и, в частности, раскрывает роль и деятельность ДТТ Китая, что может быть полезным китайским и международным ученым при проведении исследований процесса передачи технологий

Individual and Organizational Aspects of University-Industry Relations in Nanotechnology: The Turkish Case

Emerging nanotechnologies bring a new challenge for developing countries to improve knowledge and technology transfer between universities and firms. In developing countries, weaker ties between academia and the industry seem to be one of the main barriers to the dissemination of nanotechnology innovations. This study aims to understand individual and organizational factors affecting university-industry interactions in emerging nanotechnologies in a developing country context, namely Turkey. For this study, 181 questionnaires were collected from a sample of nano-science and nanotechnology academics who are currently employed by Turkish universities. The results provide that informal / interpersonal and research-related interactions are the most common forms of relationship between academics and firms. On the other hand, the study provides a useful insight to understand how human and social capitals of university-scientists as well as organizational resources/ capabilities influence the formation of links between universities and the industry.Nanotechnology, nanoscience, emerging technologies, technology transfer, university-industry relations, science and technology policies, probit model, disproportionate stratified sampling, emerging economies, Turkey.

The Effectiveness of University Knowledge Spill-Overs: Performance Differences between University Spin-Offs and Corporate Spin-Offs

While much prior research has focused upon how the Technology Transfer Offices and other contextual characteristics shape the level of university spin-offs (USO), there is little research on entrepreneurial potential among individual academics, and to the best of our knowledge, no comparative studies with other types of spin-offs exist to date. In this paper we suggest that knowledge transfer from academic research may flow indirectly to entrepreneurship by individuals with a university education background who become involved in new venture creation by means of corporate spin-offs (CSO) after gaining industrial experience, rather than leaving university employment to found a new venture as an academic spinoff. In fact, the commercial knowledge gained by industry experience is potentially more valuable for entrepreneurial performance compared to the academic knowledge gained by additional research experience at a university. This leads us to posit that not only will the average performance of CSOs be higher than comparable USOs, but the gains from founder’s prior experiences will also be higher among CSOs. We investigate these propositions in a comparative study tracking the complete population of USOs and CSOs among the Swedish knowledge-intensive sectors between 1994 and 2002.Spill-Overs

Examining alliance management capabilities in university-industry collaboration

Effective university-industry technology transfer requires universities to maintain and strengthen research and technology capabilities on the one hand, but also to develop and strengthen management capabilities to build and manage relationships with external partners on the other hand. This research seeks to advance the knowledge on university-industry collaboration by examining how managerial routines that in sum reflect the concept of alliance management capability influence success of outward university technology transfer. The results of an empirical study with academics from different universities in Germany offer insights into net effects and configurational effects of routines to manage interorganizational collaboration on technology transfer success. The findings indicate that academic units’ alliance management capability has a significant positive effect on technology transfer success. In addition, the findings indicate different configurations of alliance management routines, reflecting alternative, consistently sufficient pathways to technology transfer success. This knowledge contributes to current debates by disclosing important predictors of successful university-industry collaboration. In addition, it informs decision makers in universities about how to configure management systems to govern outward technology transfer activity

The nexus between science and industry: evidence from faculty inventions

Against the background of the so-called European paradox, i.e. the conjecture that EU countries lack the capability to transfer science into commercial innovations, knowledge transfer from academia to industry has been a central issue in policy debates recently. Based on a sample of German scientists we investigate which academic inventions are patented by a scientific assignee and which are owned by corporate entities. Our findings suggest that faculty patents assigned to corporations exhibit a higher short-term value in terms of forward citations and a higher potential to block property rights of competitors. Faculty patents assigned to academic inventors or to public research institutions, in contrast, are more complex, more basic and have stronger links to science. These results may suggest that European firms lack the absorptive capacity to identify and exploit academic inventions that are further away from market applications. --academic inventors,university-industry technology transfer,intellectual property rights