3 research outputs found
Exploring connectivity : invention, innovation and knowledge transfer in the university-industry interface
Universities are expected to create knowledge and be involved in knowledge transfer with
society. This is accomplished through the universitiesâ three missions; 1) teaching, 2)
research and 3) innovation and social engagement. The focus of this thesis is knowledge
transfer for the purpose of innovation in the university-industry interface.
Policy makers have strong faith in innovation and emphasise the importance of innovation
and knowledge transfer in the intersection between universities and industry for future
economic growth and employment. University scholars have, in the multi-disciplinary field
of innovation studies, spent considerable effort to shed light on knowledge transfer
processes and to investigate the myriad of mechanisms through which knowledge is
exchanged. For instance, efforts have been made to measure knowledge transfer itself or the
outcomes of knowledge transfer. A better understanding of knowledge transfer processes,
outcomes and impact could provide a foundation for more efficient and tailored innovation
support infrastructures, regulations and management of university-industry interaction.
However, many prior studies are built on quantitative and unidimensional methods, often
based on statistics that either over- or under estimates innovation and knowledge transfer.
This thesis argues that there is a need to widen the perspective to get a better understanding
of the knowledge transfer activities taking place in the university-industry interface. Also,
there is a need of a more comprehensive innovation statistics and metrics in the university
innovation interface. This thesis draws on, and aims at contributing to the research areas of
university-industry relations, knowledge transfer and social network theory. Thus, this
thesis addresses the question of how the mapping of âhiddenâ connections could provide
insights into the management of knowledge transfer in the university-industry interface.
The four included papers address this overarching question in different ways with different
methodological approaches. Based on the problem of lacking statistics on university
patenting, Paper I investigates how inventive productivity can be measured in the academic
setting. Paper I also introduces the Karolinska Institutet Intellectual Property (KIIP) project
which included a description of the construction of the KIIP database. The KIIP database
contains comprehensive statistics on patented inventions derived from Karolinska Institutet
between 1995 and 2010. Paper II, is a longitudinal study of knowledge transfer paths from
the university to third parties. It suggests the ABC-framework of patent ownership transfer
modes. Using social network analysis, Paper III investigates the board network structure,
composition and evolution of 65 university spin offs. Findings show that investors hold
central network positions in the network over time and are therefore in a position to both
facilitate and hinder knowledge transfer. Results also show that the board network has a
stabile âsmall wordâ feature over time indicating dense clustering and short transfer
distances across the network. Paper IV takes an individual level perspective and addresses
the question of how individuals search for knowledge to solve problems in product
development processes. Based on grounded theory methodology, an emergent theoretical
framework of individual level knowledge search processes is suggested that emphasises the
importance of social networks.
In conclusion, the findings of this thesis suggest the there is a need to apply a more holistic
and multi-level methodological and theoretical perspectives to gain better understanding of
knowledge transfer in the university-industry interface. This includes building
comprehensive innovation statistics, applying analysis methods, such as social network
analysis on micro-, meso- and macro level, developing qualitative impact oriented
innovation measures, and using pedagogical strength of social network visualisations. By
bringing such âhiddenâ connections to the surface a more tailored management of
knowledge transfer and innovation support systems could be developed
To invent and let others innovate : a framework of academic patent transfer modes
Numerous papers on university patenting and commercialisation have mapped the patent ownership landscape at a variety of academic institutions. Despite these efforts, there is still a scarcity in empirical evidence in terms of how patented academic inventions are commercialised over time. This paper extends previous work on academic commercialisation by tracing patent ownership transfers longitudinally. We develop a conceptual framework of academic patent transfer modes that distinguishes between patents transferred through the efforts of the researchers themselves (autonomous mode), through university support intermediaries (bridge mode) or via companies (corporate mode). The framework makes it possible to record knowledge transfer between academic inventors and external innovators at the time of invention (t0), patent filing (t1), and any subsequent time point (tn). Our results indicate that a majority of the patented inventions are transferred from the inventors to outside-of-academe entities. The results show that small and medium-sized companies are the largest absorbers of academic patents. The findings have potential implications for benchmarking of universities and development of more targeted internal innovation support