Identifying Critical Factors in Managing University Technology Transfer and Commercialization Units

Given the increasing interest worldwide in the growth of new technology-based companies, the aim of the present paper is to contribute to the future design of patent commercialization and spin-off creation units on behalf of university authorities and national or regional innovation agencies. Our analysis was based on 52 public technology transfer units. Six unit typologies were identified in the analysis. From the results, the proposed recommendations are focused on some critical factors such as a university’s research mass, specialized personnel of the technology transfer units, their profile, expertise and cost, as well as ideas collected from some experts in the field.university; Science Park; technology transfer; commercialization; spin-off.

ISO 9001 & ISO 14000 diffusion analysis according to activity sectors

[ENG] There is no doubt that the interest that ISO standard has aroused in the academic field has its parallel in industry. Up to the end of December 2009, at least 1,064,785 ISO 9001 (2000 and 2008) certificates had been issued in 178 countries and economies. The 2009 total represents an increase of 81,953 (+ 8%) over 2008, when the total was 982,832 in 176 countries and economies. On the other hand, regarding to the other family of standards, also up to the end of December 2009, at least 223,149 ISO 14001:2004 certificates had been issued in 159 countries and economies. Annual growth is stabilized at almost the same level as in 2008 – 34,334 in 2009, compared to 34,242 in 2008, when the total was 188,815 in 155 countries and economies (ISO 2010). The diffusion of the both standards (ISO 9001 and ISO 14011) have in fact been widely analysed, but there is a bias in the perspective used: there are some papers that focus on the patterns of evolution in its geographical dissemination (e.g., Saraiva and Duarte, 2003, Franceschini et al., 2004, Marimon et al., 2006 and 2009, Albuquerque et al., 2007, Casadesus et al., 2008; Sampaio et al., 2009, Franceschini et al., 2010), while we have not found literature that focus on the dissemination within the industrial or service activity sectors, independently of the localization of the companies certificated. The objective of the paper is, therefore, to analyse the way the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards spread in a particular sector: is this pattern similar for all sectors or does each sector have its own peculiarities? Whether it is the same or not, the analysis of mature sectors with regard to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications might give a clue to practitioners about other sectors that are at earlier stages in terms of diffusion. The structure of the paper in order to achieve the objective has five sections. After this introduction, a literature review will be explored in the second section. In the third section the methodology will be described, as well as the methodology and results. The discussion and conclusions will be done in the last section.This study is part of a larger research project entitled “Customers’ satisfaction improvement in Spanish organizations through standardization” (ECO2009-12754-CO2-01), which is financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation within the aid program for research & development projects

Assessing the overall perceived quality of the undergraduate students

Purpose - The paper is twofold aimed: (i) defining and validating a scale to assess the quality of the university experienced by students and (ii) analyzing the role of the aforementioned di- mensions and their impact on students’ satisfaction. Methodology/Approach - A survey of 2,557 undergraduate students that finished their degrees in 2013 at universities located in the region of Catalonia has been analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). An exploratory analysis suggests the final dimensions that were confirmed in a confirmatory analysis. The psychometric characteristics of the scale are provided to show reliability and validity of the constructs. An extra model (also using SEM) assesses the impact of these dimensions on overall satisfac- tion. Findings - The quality is a multifactor construct composed by: (i) “syllabus”, which refers to the quality of the learning methods and the coordination efforts through the whole study period; (ii) “skills development”, referring to the skills that students might acquire along their studies and (iii) “services and facilities” of the university. Moreover, the first and third factors act as “enablers” for the second factor one. Nevertheless, only “Syllabus” dimension affects significantly on students’ satisfaction, whereas “services and facilities” do not have a significant role, although they are necessary in order to provide a good service. Research Limitation/implication - Although the sample is large enough to draw robust re- sults, it is limited the Catalonia. The paper provides recommendations for university managers and public administration authorities in order to allocate the available resources. Originality/Value of paper - In an era of global competition, universities are trying to adapt to these new requirements by expanding they academic offer, introducing innovative teaching methods, providing teaching resources to lecturers, and updating the general services of the university among others. All these services will be considered when students evaluate their experience at the university. The paper contributes with an assessment scale for the holistic service provided by the university within the period that the student is in the university. These findings can be applied to help define attractive academic programs and provide useful insights on how the supporting facilities should be designed to allow students take advantage of their learning process at universities.Postprint (published version

Science and technology parks: creating new environments favourable to innovation

Science and technology parks as catalysts which provide a means to facilitate, by their proximity, innovation and knowledge sharin

Analysing the Adoption of Energy-Saving Technologies in Manufacturing Firms

The present book chapter aims to (i) map the adoption of energy-saving technologies (EST) in manufacturing and (ii) identify structural and operational characteristics that are expected to correlate with EST implementation. The empirical evidence is collected through the European Manufacturing Survey. The analysis presented corresponds to the Spanish subsample 2012 edition. Our main result points to a relatively low implementation of EST, also interpretable as a still unexploited potential these technologies have for manufacturers. Other main findings show (i) a relatively still modest implementation of most EST and (ii) a possible relationship between high implementation of EST and perceived energy efficiency as a consequence of implementation. The chapter draws implications for practice and research

Clustering product innovators: a comparison between conventional and green product innovators

[EN] This paper aims at analysing firms implementing new products. Based on a cluster analysis, three types of manufacturers have been identified representing different types of product innovators according to the competitiveness factors important for their business, environmentally sensitive new products, and a performance indicator, such as the share of turnover from new products.Pons, M.; Bikfalvi, A.; Llach, J. (2018). Clustering product innovators: a comparison between conventional and green product innovators. International Journal of Production Management and Engineering. 6(1):37-46. doi:10.4995/ijpme.2018.8762SWORD37466

Aproximación a la climatología de la nubosidad en Cataluña

Ponencia presentada en: IV Congreso de la Asociación Española de Climatología "El Clima entre el Mar y la Montaña", celebrado en Santander del 2 al 5 de noviembre de 2004.[ES]Las nubes, a pesar de ser un reflejo de la dinámica atmosférica y del ciclo del agua, son seguramente uno de los fenómenos meteorológicos menos estudiados desde el punto de vista climático. En esta comunicación se presenta una Climatología descriptiva de la nubosidad en Cataluña, realizada a partir de las observaciones tomadas en cinco observatorios del territorio durante cuarenta años. Se presenta un resumen de los resultados obtenidos al realizar análisis en base mensual, estacional, y anual, de los datos disponibles, que incluyen nubosidad total, nubosidad por nubes bajas, y tipo de nubes. Se concluye que, al igual que ocurre con otras variables climáticas, la nubosidad presenta gran variabilidad espacial en Cataluña, a pesar del tamaño discreto de dicha región. Por ejemplo, entre las cinco estaciones se encuentran tres regímenes nefológicos claramente diferenciados. Probablemente, la diversidad geográfica de los observatorios analizados (desde la costa hasta el Pirineo) explica esta variabilidad climática. En todo caso, la cubierta nubosa media en Cataluña es cercana a las 4 octas, siendo julio el mes de menor nubosidad y mayo el de mayor.[EN]Clouds are good indicators of atmospheric dynamics, and also of hydrological cycle. Despite of this, clouds are probably one of the meteorological phenomena that have been less studied from climatic point of view. In the present paper, a descriptive climatology of cloudiness in Catalonia is presented. The cloud climatology has been developed from observations taken at 5 meteorological stations in the last forty years. Observations are taken three times a day, and total cloud cover, amount of low level clouds, and cloud type are recorded. A summary of results obtained when analyzing the data at monthly, seasonally, and annual basis is presented. One conclusion is that cloudiness shows great spatial variability in Catalonia, like it is true for other climatic variables. For example, three different nephelogical regimes have been found among the five sites. Probably, the geographic diversity of stations (from the coast to the Pyrenees) explains this great climatic variability found by our analysis. The average cloud cover in Catalonia is 4 octas, being July the month with lowest cloudiness and May the month with highest cloudiness.La presente comunicación se ha realizado gracias a la financiación de la Universidad de Girona, mediante un proyecto para la dinamización y mantenimiento de la actividad investigadora (convocatoria 2003)

Do technologies really affect that much? exploring the potential of several industry 4.0 technologies in today’s lean manufacturing shop floors

We investigated the synergies and trade-offs between lean management practices and digital transformation promoted via Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies in current manufacturing shop floors. We used a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to examine possible interactions in a sample of 568 European manufacturing plants from the European Manufacturing Survey. Our results show that various causal pathways exist between lean practices and I4.0 technologies that contribute to improving industrial performance, highlighting the influence of vertical and horizontal data integration (VHDI) even ahead of other more extended applications, such as robotics. Furthermore, our results reveal that the combination of I4.0 technologies analyzed (VHDI, advanced robotics, and additive manufacturing) can lead to sufficient conditions for improving plant performance. From a management point of view, our findings underline the need to avoid myopic attitudes toward I4.0 opportunities. Lean programs should be designed with technological issues in mind, as digital features can establish powerful mechanisms that develop and reinforce the contributions of operational routines to manufacturing strengths in the face of new market requirements. In addition, managers must take into account the implications of the new situation: continuous learning and workforce training will be essential for workers to adapt to the requirements that digital transformation of shop floors has brought about.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019- 106677GB-I0

Innovación abierta: liderazgo y valores

Este trabajo propone el uso de una ?Dirección por Valores? por parte de los líderes que interactúan en redes de ?Innovación Abierta?. Una primera revisión de la literatura disponible nos indica el tipo de liderazgo a ejercer. Pese a que pudiese pensarse que en redes tan avanzadas el liderazgo transformacional puro sería el objetivo ideal, se concluye que, para estas redes no puede olvidarse cierta faceta transaccional. Con este marco, el estudio del estilo de dirección a emplear, nos orienta hacia la Dirección por Valores. Este tipo de dirección proporciona ventajas en (i) comunicación, (ii) relaciones en la red y (iii) protección frente a desviaciones del camino óptimo. En el pasado se han desarrollado los aspectos teóricos de la comprensión de la dimensión humana que fomenta la innovación. También se ha estudiado la relevancia de los estudios de humanidades en ingeniería para comprender los valores asociados. En la actualidad, nos encontramos ante la necesidad de llevar esta teoría a la práctica en las organizaciones. Los resultados de este trabajo ofrecen pautas, en forma de proposiciones fácilmente contrastables, para profundizar en una Dirección por Valores dentro del marco de la Innovación Abierta

Capabilities and organisational dimensions conducive to green product innovation: Evidence from Croatian and Spanish manufacturing firms

[EN] This paper aims to determine which configuration of green innovation capabilities (GICs) and organisational dimensions (ODs) leads to achieving green product innovation (GPI). We used data collected through the European Manufacturing Survey (EMS) from manufacturing firms in Spain and Croatia considered to be innovators. After conducting a cluster analysis, we identified a group of firms that still develop conventional product innovations (CPIs) and three groups of firms at different stages of GPI development. The four clusters were characterised using different variables, or determinants of GPI, associated with seven GICs and five ODs that favour GPI. According to the findings, all the GICs and ODs under analysis have a positive impact on GPI development, which results in the consolidation of a framework that organisations could use to manage green innovation. By empirically showing the relevance of applying these constructs, this study makes contributions to the Resource-Based Theory (RBT), along with its extension to GICs, and points to the need to associate them with the ODs to achieve GPI towards the challenge of sustainable development.Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Grant/Award Number: ECO2017-86054-C3-3-RSerrano-García, J.; Bikfalvi, A.; Llach, J.; Arbeláez-Toro, JJ. (2022). Capabilities and organisational dimensions conducive to green product innovation: Evidence from Croatian and Spanish manufacturing firms. Business Strategy and the Environment. 31(7):2767-2785. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.30142767278531