Imprints from idea origin on innovation and the development environment

This study builds on the evolutionary and organization literatures to explore how the nature of innovation outcomes was influenced by the innovation’s original idea and the environment in which it was developed. We use data from a survey of inventors on the development processes of three types of innovations: market success innovations, technologically novel innovations, and innovations that are both technologically novel and of market success. Our results suggest that the environment in which the project is developed erodes the effect of the original knowledge sources on the innovation outcome. Specifically, a stronger imprinting effect of knowledge sources is found for independent inventors, while ideas are more likely to be eroded in projects undertaken by inventors at technology leader firms

The governance of formal university–industry interactions: understanding the rationales for alternative models

This article develops a conceptual framework to explain the economic rationale underpinning the choice of different modes of governance of formal university–industry interactions: personal contractual interactions, where the contract regulating the collaboration involves a firm and an individual academic researcher, and institutional interactions, where the relationship between the firm and the academic is mediated by the university. Although institutional interactions, for numerous reasons, have become more important, both governance modes are currently being implemented. We would argue that they have some important specificities that need to be understood if university–industry knowledge transfer is to be managed effectively and efficiently

Diversity in technology transfer policies and practices? : empirical evidence from the Netherlands

This paper contributes to the discussion of the effectiveness of current technology transfer policies. More specifically, this paper examines the degree of fit between current technology transfer policies on the one hand and standing practices in technology transfer on the other hand, in the Netherlands. For this purpose, we both discuss the development of Dutch technology transfer policy and provide an in-depth empirical analysis of standing practices of university-industry technology transfer. Our findings indicate that national policy has a better fit with current practices of technology transfer than university policies. Furthermore, our findings are supportive of the idea that policies should be generic rather than (sector) specific

The governance of formal university-industry collaborations: understanding the rationales for alternative models

This article develops a conceptual framework to explain the economic rationale underpinning the choice of different modes of governance of formal university–industry interactions: personal contractual interactions, where the contract regulating the collaboration involves a firm and an individual academic researcher, and institutional interactions, where the relationship between the firm and the academic is mediated by the university. Although institutional interactions, for numerous reasons, have become more important, both governance modes are currently being implemented. We would argue that they have some important specificities that need to be understood if university–industry knowledge transfer is to be managed effectively and efficiently

Formal and informal external linkages and firms’ innovative strategies. A cross-country comparison

External information sources, Innovation strategy, Formal cooperation, Multivariate Probit, O31, O33, O38,