The Evolution of University Technology Transfer towards Involvement with Industry: the Case of the Politecnico di Torino

The Italian university scene was strongly influenced by the advent of so-called “knowledge society” that has resulted in a substantial transformation of the main institutions of knowledge production, including universities, in terms of services to offer and functions to performer, in order to give concrete answers to the increasingly insistent demands from society: not only traditional education of young people and the production of knowledge, but also training for life-long learning, continuous training and upgrading, advice, assistance and technology transfer, new modes of knowledge production. Moreover, ever the past three decades, university research activities have increasingly become organized around economic imperatives. Therefore, in this paper it is analyzed the case of the Politecnico di Torino and of I3P, the Innovative Enterprise Incubator of the Politecnico di Torino, in terms of connection with the economic environment, in the light of the idea that changes in technology have enhanced the connections between research universities and economic policies (Geiger 2006). I3P’s mission is to promote the creation of new science-based businesses with validated growth potential, either founded by university researchers or entrepreneurs from outside the university sphere. I3P provides open spaces and professional consulting services to start business as well as a network of entrepreneurs, managers and investors. Founded on 1999, I3P is located in Torino (Italy) and by now has launched 160 start-ups that have been able to exploit the results of research in different fields: from cleantech to medtech, from Information Technology to electronics, mechanical, energy, to other industrial. Its mission is to promote the creation of new science-oriented firms with high-growth potential. The activity of I3P follows the global strategies of the Piedmont region, in order to sustain research, technology innovation and new entrepreneurship. Specifically it aims to: provide consulting services during the enterprise creation process (these services are free of charge); manage a network and a high profile marketplace involving entrepreneurs, managers and investors; provide a location for enterprises to create reciprocal synergies

La Quarta missione dell’Università: la Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, il Politecnico di Torino, l’Università degli Studi di Trento e l’Università degli Studi di Messina tra spin-off e creazione di imprenditorialità

La tesi affronta la tematica degli spin-off universitari adottando un approccio poliprospettico. L’analisi della letteratura finora prodotta in materia di spin-off della ricerca universitaria ha consentito di delineare un quadro completo e multidimensionale del fenomeno, evidenziando punti di forza e di debolezza legati al processo di creazione di nuove realtà imprenditoriali da parte di università ed enti pubblici di ricerca. L’analisi degli spin-off accademici da un punto di vista quantitativo ha permesso di ricostruire la configurazione assunta dal fenomeno nel panorama italiano, alla luce delle variabili individuate nella prima sezione della ricerca. Inoltre, l’analisi di quattro casi di studio peculiari - la Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, il Politecnico di Torino, l’Università degli Studi di Trento e l’Università degli Studi di Messina - ha consentito di ricostruire i profili delle singole strutture - non solo in termini di maggiore o minore grado di coinvolgimento in attività di creazione di nuove forme di imprenditorialità accademica a partire dai risultati della ricerca condotta in seno a ciascun istituto di alta formazione, ma anche in relazione ai modelli adottati durante i processi di creazione degli spin-off -, e di intercettare, almeno nel panorama accademico italiano, punti di forza e punti di debolezza di questa ormai diffusa pratica finalizzata alla valorizzazione dei risultati della ricerca. Un’ultima riflessione si è infine incentrata sulla questione legata all’identità dei soggetti coinvolti durante la creazione di un’impresa spin-off, giungendo a proporre una possibile chiave di lettura del fenomeno attraverso la cosiddetta “matrice delle tendenze”, quale nuovo strumento di analisi qualitativa per la ricerca sociologica

Etnografia e netnografia. Riflessioni teoriche, sfide metodologiche ed esperienze di ricerca

Fra i lavori più recenti che meglio mettono in evidenza la necessità di aggiorna- re la cassetta degli attrezzi del ricercatore sociale, vi è quello curato da Giuseppe Masullo, Felice Addeo e Angela Delli Paoli – intitolato Etnografia e netnografia. Riflessioni teoriche, sfide metodologiche ed esperienze di ricerca, pubblicato nel 2020 da Paolo Loffredo Editore con il contributo del Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, Filosofiche e della Formazione (DISUFF) dell’Università degli Studi di Salerno.Il volume, riprendendo le parole di Mangone nella prefazione,«si configura proprio come un laboratorio metodologico che ha lo scopo di aprire nuove prospettive per uno studio approfondito dell’interazione tra alcune variabili (genere, sessualità, etnia, religione, etc.) e i cambiamenti culturali tenendo conto di un approccio multiplo e multidisciplinare alla formazione dell’identità e alle relazioni attraverso il metodo etnografico e netnografico» (2020, p. 16)

Entrepreneurship and University Spin-offs for (Academic) Employment?

[ES] In the new Millennium Italian universities have lived many changes deeply reshaping academic institutions. A relevant aspect was the more and more significant need to answer the demand of society and respond the social pressure to accountability through the transfer of knowledge, innovation and technology to economy. It led to an extension of the so-called university Fourth Mission, an instrument dedicated to create spin-offs to share scientific research results with society. The paper investigates the present reality of university spin-offs in Italy by considering their growing number also in the light of their role ofinstrument for academic job substitution. In particular, a tool to respond to the current condition of young Italian academic researchers increasingly affected by job offer reduction due to budget constraints, consequent university policies and new management issues.Boffo, S.; Cocorullo, A.; Gagliardi, F. (2020). Entrepreneurship and University Spin-offs for (Academic) Employment?. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):793-800. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.1114579380030-05-202

University Fourth Mission, Spin-offs and Academic Entrepreneurship: Connecting public policies with new missions and management issues of universities

Universities are presently considered vital players in the transfer of knowledge, innovation and technology to the economy. This is one of the roots of the diffuse reform processes evident in most European tertiary sectors. In almost 25 years Italian universities have experienced many changes that deeply reshaped their academic institutions. Among other aspects, the need to make an adequate contribution in answer to the demands of society led to an extension and deepening of universities’ so-called Fourth Mission (Geiger, 2006; Kretz & Sá, 2013). A multifaceted set of activities were therefore introduced to strengthen the liaison between academia and society. In the past, this role was mainly concerned with granting patents to outsiders, but today universities are also increasingly dedicated to the creation and promotion of spin-off activities. These are instruments designed to respond to social pressures towards accountability and establish a dialogue with the economy through the sharing of academic research findings. In this framework, the main features of each academic institution are an important variable in the spin-offs’ development process. Through the use of 4 case studies (University of Messina; Polytechnic of Turin; Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa; University of Trento) and the analysis of 40 qualitative interviews with key actors in each spin-off (directly and indirectly involved in the entrepreneurial projects), the paper investigates university spin-offs in Italy from two different perspectives. First, the growing number of spin-offs as related to the present conditions of young Italian academic researchers (increasingly affected by budget constraints), university policies, and new management issues. Second, the identity and self-perception of academic actors involved in the spin-offs’ creative process

L'industria culturale e creativa

Cultural and creative industries play an important role in the processes of cultural, social and economic development of Italy. In particular, in South Italy, Campania region is characterized by a considerable creative effervescence, which represents a strategic resource for the growth of the territory and the empowerment of young people. However, in this territorial context, characterized by profound internal differences in the availability of resources and services, the “creativity-culture-development” axis constitutes a critical issue, highlighted by the social, economic and organizational repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting from a theoretical reflection on the cultural and creative industry, the book presents the results of an exploratory study conducted between 2020 and 2021 by the Osservatorio Territoriale Giovani (OTG) of the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II in collaboration with the Campanian local government. The research is based on twenty qualitative interviews to privileged witnesses and returns a map of the limits and resources of the Campanian cultural and creative industries in relation to the impact of the pandemic and provides some ideas for the future institutional initiatives aimed at strengthening the sector and promoting youth creativity

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London