Technology transfer in the Americas: common and divergent practices among major research universities and public sector institutions (original) (raw)
Related papers
2018
Nowadays, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship have been increasingly valued as generators of wealth, competitiveness and development of contemporary societies, thus composing the political agenda of developed and emerging countries. The objective that guided the development of this work is to analyze the practices of Intellectual Property (IP) management, technology transfer (TT) and entrepreneurship in teaching and research institutions in Brazil and Chile. For that, the Federal University of ABC, located in Brazil, and the University of Chile, in Chile, were selected. In July 2017, interviews were conducted with professionals from the areas of TT, IP, and entrepreneurship in both universities. The results showed that the two institutions face, in a period of maturity and consolidation, some challenges related to the extension of IP management mechanisms, consolidation of partnership practices with business actors, structuring of performance indicators that reflect the inte...
A Conceptual Model of Technology Transfer for Public Universities in Mexico
Journal of technology management & innovation, 2013
Technology transfer from academic and scientific institutions has been transformed into a strategic variable for companies and nations who wish to cope with the challenges of a global economy. Since the early 1970s, many technology transfer models have tried to introduce key factors in the process. Previous studies have shown that technology transfer is influenced by various elements. This study is based on a review of two recent technology transfer models that we have used as basic concepts for developing our own conceptual model. Researcher-firm networks have been considered as key elements in the technology transfer process between public universities and firms. The conceptual model proposed could be useful to improve the efficiency of existing technology transfer mechanisms.
Models, Processes, and Roles of Universities in Technology Transfer Management: A Systematic Review
Universities play pivotal roles when research findings are to be adopted commercially. Although these roles vary from one country to another, effective patenting and licensing procedures, as well as eventual commercialisation of scholarly inventions, reflect hard work on the part of the University mediating between the researcher and the industry through technology transfer offices (TTOs) in order to ensure that knowledge-developers take motivational and monetary credit for their findings. This paper details some existing models, processes, and roles taken up in some countries where sharing of intellectual property exists, and links it up with aspects of university-industry technology transfer, such as policies surrounding patenting, government investment and marketing, and the process of academic entrepreneurship, among others. 22 articles were found via a systematic review of literature and analysed with respect to four identified areas of focus: internal strategy, investment and market, academic entrepreneurship and policy. Based on models, processes, and roles in reviewed studies, our results indicate that new models for technology transfer mainly stem from the fact that there is no universally accepted model in the literature. Furthermore, management of technology transfer is mostly the responsibility of TTOs in most countries. While university TTOs act as intermediaries to protect the interest of the author/inventor, issues such as poor relationships between universities and industry, as well as funding, remain major challenges in many emerging economies. In contrast, researchers in western economies are mainly challenged by financial motivation and recognition within the academic domains.
The “Technological Innovation Act”, promulgated in Brazil in 2004, represents the main legal framework implemented to promote technological innovation and to delineate a favorable scenario for scientific development in Brazil. It regulates specially the r elationship between Scientific and Technological Institutions (STI) – such as universities and public research institutes - and private companies in Brazil. Among other things, the law determines that each STI should compose a Technological Innovation Cent er (NIT, as its acronym in Portuguese) to act as an interface of the STI and its markets. These centers are equivalent to what is internationally called Technology Transfer Office and have as main responsibility to transfer the knowledge and inventions generated at Public Research Institutes (PRI) to private sector.This paper describes and provides some reflections upon the experience of three NIT, located in the State of São Paulo (Brazil): Innovation Agency of University of Campinas (Inova/ Unicamp); Innovation Agency of Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and Embrapa Informatics of Agriculture. The analysis was focused on the following issues: history, legal structure and organizational model, mission and activities, relationships and results.
Lessons learned about technology transfer
Technovation, 2001
The present paper derives lessons learned about effective technology transfer from research on the technology transfer process in New Mexico over the past several years. Technology transfer from national R&D laboratories and from research universities provides the main basis for economic growth by metropolitan regions in the United States. New Mexico is (1) technology-rich because of Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of New Mexico, and (2) entrepreneurfriendly. High-technology spin-offs are a particularly effective means of technology transfer. The process of technology transfer is a difficult type of communication, and demands trained and skilled personnel, adequate resources, and organizational and other reward/incentive structures.
2021
Over the past 40 years, the Bayh-Dole Act has been the most inspiring piece of legislation around the world. This policy measure has empowered organizations (i.e., universities, SMEs, and non-profit organizations) to be the owners of inventions made by federally-funded research, as well as it has ensured royalties, licensing, and spinningoff to the organizations that have made these inventions. The most consistent output of this policy measure has been the flourishment of the academic entrepreneurship phenomenon around the world (Grimaldi et al. 2011; Aldridge and Audretsch 2017; Guerrero et al. 2015; Guerrero and Urbano 2019b). This has been confirmed by the exponential rising of technology transfer and academic entrepreneurship research over the past three decades (Miranda et al. 2018; Guerrero and Urbano 2019b).
Anais Do Xxxvii Encontro Nacional De Economia Proceedings of the 37th Brazilian Economics Meeting, 2011
This paper presents an analysis of the technology transfer process from universities and public research institutes to firms in Brazil. In particular, this study is concerned with the role of patents in this process. Although there is a certain enthusiasm in promoting technology transfer offices to manage university patents, the importance of patents to the technology transfer process is not well understood in the literature yet. We conducted a survey with leaders of research groups from universities and public research institutes that developed and transferred technology to firms. The results show that patents are one of the least used channels of technology transfer by universities and public research institutes. But the importance of the channels varies according to the kind of technology transferred and to the firms' industry.
Science and Public Policy, 2010
This paper presents an analysis of the technology transfer process from universities and public research institutes to firms in Brazil. In particular, this study is concerned with the role of patents in this process. Although there is a certain enthusiasm in promoting technology transfer offices to manage university patents, the importance of patents to the technology transfer process is not well understood in the literature yet. We conducted a survey with leaders of research groups from universities and public research institutes that developed and transferred technology to firms. The results show that patents are one of the least used channels of technology transfer by universities and public research institutes. But the importance of the channels varies according to the kind of technology transferred and to the firms' industry.
2016
This case study researched organizational factors that affect the university-industry technology transfer (UITT) processes of a private university, chosen by its success and uniqueness in the Brazilian context. Stood out as factors: innovation among pillars of management; valuing of research and intellectual property; qualified students, teachers and managers; multidisciplinary research groups; stability of governing body; performance of the TTO, Technology Management Agency and Technology Park. Difficulties highlighted were: reconciliation of time between activities of professors-researchers, bureaucracy and centralization of administrative and legal support; valuation of research results; approach and negotiation with companies. Among suggestions are: granting greater independence to the structures in charge of UITT and making them self-sustainable; training agents in technology marketing, sale, and negotiation skills.