The effectiveness of policies for formal knowledge transfer from European universities and public research institutes to firms

We use survey data for 247 European universities and 40 public research organizations to investigate the effects of institutional policies on four outcomes of transfer performance (R&D agreements with companies, patent applications, licence agreements, and start-ups established). We find that the effects of policies to establish clear rules, improve transparency, and provide financial or non-financial incentives vary by outcome. Improving transparency by publishing the policies for licencing or intellectual property are often negatively correlated with outcomes, particularly for licence agreements. Out of three non-financial incentives, only social rewards have a rather positive effect (on start-ups), but financial incentives are positively correlated with several outcomes. A higher salary is positively linked to the number of research agreements and patent applications, while giving inventors a share of revenue is positively correlated with licencing and start-ups. The results suggest that the type of incentive as well as the degree of transparency of transfer policies should be chosen to complement the main transfer channels and strategy of the institutio

Using big data for generating firm-level innovation indicators - a literature review

Obtaining indicators on innovation activities of firms has been a challenge in economic research for a long time. The most frequently used indicators - R&D expenditure and patents - provide an incomplete picture as they represent inputs and throughputs in the innovation process. Output measurement of innovation has strongly been relying on survey data such as the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), but suffers from several short-comings typical to sample surveys, including incomplete coverage of the firm sector, low timeliness and limited comparability across industries and firms. The availability of big data sources has initiated new efforts to collect innovation data at the firm level. This paper discusses recent attempts of using digital big data sources on firms for generating firm-level innovation indicators, including Websites and social media. It summarises main challenges when using big data and proposes avenues for future research

Toward a Comprehensive Set of Metrics for Knowledge Transfer

Universities and public research institutes play a key role in enabling the application of scientific breakthroughs and innovations in the marketplace. Many countries – developed and developing alike – have implemented national strategies to support the application or commercialization of knowledge produced by public research organizations. Universities and public research institutes have introduced practices to support these activities, for instance by including knowledge transfer to promote innovation as a core part of their mission. As a result, a vital question for policymakers is how to improve the efficiency of these knowledge transfer practices to help maximize innovation-driven growth and/or to seek practical solutions to critical societal challenges. This book aims to develop a conceptual framework to evaluate knowledge transfer practices and outcomes; to improve knowledge transfer metrics, surveys and evaluation frameworks; and to generate findings on what works and what does not, and to propose related policy lessons. This book is also available as Open Access

Systemising social innovation initiatives and their regional context in Europe

Social innovation can be seen as new combinations of social, economic and political capital (resources and capabilities)1. In social innovation initiatives actors with different capabilities cooperate and function as systems of innovation. The various actors (from the social, economic and/or political domain) contribute and benefit in different tangible and intangible ways. As producers and users of solutions for societal problems they co-create value for society. The paper aims for insights in the economic outcomes of social innovation. We argue that social innovation can be seen as an investment, rather than a cost. For 55 social innovation initiatives across Europe we identify economic outcomes for the various actors, and the sustainability of the initiative. Since social innovation is context-dependent, and because the regional situation concerning social innovation differs across the EU, we also systemise the regional context in which the social innovation initiatives have emerged. The results support the idea that social innovation generates economic as well as complementary social benefits. Four types of regional systems of social innovation can be identified. It helps explain why regions as different contexts induce different social innovation initiatives and economic outcomes