IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jtecht/v39y2014i3p472-486.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

University Third mission in Italy: organization, faculty attitude and academic specialization

Author

Listed:
  • Secondo Rolfo
  • Ugo Finardi

Abstract

In the last decades Third mission of Universities (encompassing Technology and Knowledge Transfer) has come abreast of the two traditional tasks of Universities. Organization of Universities and attitude of researchers in this field still needs to undergo research. The present work provides experimental evidence of the differences existing in such terms between a specialized technological University and a generalist “Humboldtian” one (with particular regards to its scientific departments). The experimental study is performed on two Italian Universities with similar formal structure and external environment, but with different specialization and research/teaching subjects. Two databases—one agent-based, the second institutional-based—are exploited in order to highlight characters. Results show different organization and attitudes. This may be due either to different organization of internal competencies and responsibilities, or to a different historical path of external relations. Results might prove relevant for the organization of Third mission activities with particular regard to Technology Transfer. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Secondo Rolfo & Ugo Finardi, 2014. "University Third mission in Italy: organization, faculty attitude and academic specialization," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 472-486, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:39:y:2014:i:3:p:472-486
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-012-9284-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10961-012-9284-5
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10961-012-9284-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Azèle Mathieu & Martin Meyer & Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie, 2008. "Turning science into business: a case study of a major European research university," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 35(9), pages 669-679, November.
    2. Mark Sellenthin, 2009. "Technology transfer offices and university patenting in Sweden and Germany," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 34(6), pages 603-620, December.
    3. Havas, Attila, 2008. "Universities and the emerging new players: Building futures for higher education," MPRA Paper 66333, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Van Looy, Bart & Landoni, Paolo & Callaert, Julie & van Pottelsberghe, Bruno & Sapsalis, Eleftherios & Debackere, Koenraad, 2011. "Entrepreneurial effectiveness of European universities: An empirical assessment of antecedents and trade-offs," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 553-564, May.
    5. Elisa Salvador & Secondo Rolfo, 2011. "Are incubators and science parks effective for research spin-offs? Evidence from Italy," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 38(3), pages 170-184, April.
    6. Aldo Geuna & Alessandro Muscio, 2008. "The governance of University knowledge transfer," SPRU Working Paper Series 173, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    7. Riccardo Fini & Rosa Grimaldi & Maurizio Sobrero, 2009. "Factors fostering academics to start up new ventures: an assessment of Italian founders’ incentives," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 380-402, August.
    8. Emanuela Reale & Anna Barbara & Antonio Costantini, 2007. "Peer review for the evaluation of academic research: lessons from the Italian experience," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(3), pages 216-228, September.
    9. Arianna Martinelli & Martin Meyer & Nick Tunzelmann, 2008. "Becoming an entrepreneurial university? A case study of knowledge exchange relationships and faculty attitudes in a medium-sized, research-oriented university," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 259-283, June.
    10. Alessandro Muscio, 2010. "What drives the university use of technology transfer offices? Evidence from Italy," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 181-202, April.
    11. Albert N. Link & Donald S. Siegel & Barry Bozeman, 2007. "An empirical analysis of the propensity of academics to engage in informal university technology transfer ," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 16(4), pages 641-655, August.
    12. Cristiano Antonelli, 2008. "The new economics of the university: a knowledge governance approach," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 1-22, February.
    13. Bozeman, Barry, 2000. "Technology transfer and public policy: a review of research and theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4-5), pages 627-655, April.
    14. Magnus Gulbrandsen & Stig Slipersæter, 2007. "The Third Mission and the Entrepreneurial University Model," Chapters, in: Andrea Bonaccorsi & Cinzia Daraio (ed.), Universities and Strategic Knowledge Creation, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    15. Calderini, Mario & Franzoni, Chiara & Vezzulli, Andrea, 2007. "If star scientists do not patent: The effect of productivity, basicness and impact on the decision to patent in the academic world," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 303-319, April.
    16. Geuna, Aldo, 1996. "European universities : an interpretative history," Research Memorandum 008, Maastricht University, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lawson, Cornelia & Geuna, Aldo & Finardi, Ugo, 2021. "The funding-productivity-gender nexus in science, a multistage analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(3).
    2. Freel, Mark & Persaud, Ajax & Chamberlin, Tyler, 2019. "Faculty ideals and universities' third mission," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 10-21.
    3. Svetlana Karpycheva, 2017. "Research of Commercialization Models of Scientific Developments in Projects of Technological Entrepreneurship," Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 1(1), pages 142-151, October.
    4. Rossi, Federica & Fassio,Claudio & Geuna, Aldo, 2014. "The Role of Institutional Characteristics in Knowledge Transfer: A Comparative Analysis of Two Italian Universities," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201425, University of Turin.
    5. Angelo Bonomi, "undated". "Bridging Organizations between University and Industry: from Science to Contract Research," CERIS Working Paper 201415, CNR-IRCrES Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth - Torino (TO) ITALY - former Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth - Moncalieri (TO) ITALY.
    6. Ugo Finardi, 2014. "Insights on the efficiency of Embodied Knowledge Transfer: results from a localized initiative," CERIS Working Paper 201419, CNR-IRCrES Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth - Torino (TO) ITALY - former Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth - Moncalieri (TO) ITALY.
    7. Compagnucci, Lorenzo & Spigarelli, Francesca, 2020. "The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anja Schoen & Bruno Pottelsberghe de la Potterie & Joachim Henkel, 2014. "Governance typology of universities’ technology transfer processes," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 435-453, June.
    2. A. Bellucci & L. Pennacchio, 2016. "University knowledge and firm innovation: evidence from European countries," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 730-752, August.
    3. Fabrizio Cesaroni & Andrea Piccaluga, 2016. "The activities of university knowledge transfer offices: towards the third mission in Italy," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 753-777, August.
    4. Cáceres Carrasco, F. Rafael & Aceytuno, María Teresa, 2015. "Academic spin-offs incubation strategies: the case of the Andalusian region," Cuadernos de Gestión, Universidad del País Vasco - Instituto de Economía Aplicada a la Empresa (IEAE).
    5. Ani Gerbin & Mateja Drnovsek, 2016. "Determinants and public policy implications of academic-industry knowledge transfer in life sciences: a review and a conceptual framework," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(5), pages 979-1076, October.
    6. Alessandra Micozzi & Donato Iacobucci & Irene Martelli & Andrea Piccaluga, 2021. "Engines need transmission belts: the importance of people in technology transfer offices," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 1551-1583, October.
    7. Compagnucci, Lorenzo & Spigarelli, Francesca, 2020. "The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    8. James A. Cunningham & Paul O’Reilly, 2018. "Macro, meso and micro perspectives of technology transfer," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 545-557, June.
    9. O’Kane, Conor & Mangematin, Vincent & Geoghegan, Will & Fitzgerald, Ciara, 2015. "University technology transfer offices: The search for identity to build legitimacy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 421-437.
    10. Good, Matthew & Knockaert, Mirjam & Soppe, Birthe & Wright, Mike, 2019. "The technology transfer ecosystem in academia. An organizational design perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 82, pages 35-50.
    11. Andrea Bonaccorsi & Luca Secondi & Enza Setteducati & Alessio Ancaiani, 2014. "Participation and commitment in third-party research funding: evidence from Italian Universities," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 169-198, April.
    12. Hawkins, Richard & Langford, Cooper H. & Saunders, Chad, 2015. "Assessing the practical application of social knowledge: A survey of six leading Canadian Universities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 83-95.
    13. Isabel Maria Bodas Freitas & Aldo Geuna & Federica Rossi, 2011. "University–Industry Interactions: The Unresolved Puzzle," Chapters, in: Cristiano Antonelli (ed.), Handbook on the Economic Complexity of Technological Change, chapter 11, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Perkmann, Markus & Tartari, Valentina & McKelvey, Maureen & Autio, Erkko & Broström, Anders & D’Este, Pablo & Fini, Riccardo & Geuna, Aldo & Grimaldi, Rosa & Hughes, Alan & Krabel, Stefan & Kitson, Mi, 2013. "Academic engagement and commercialisation: A review of the literature on university–industry relations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 423-442.
    15. Muscio, Alessandro & Nardone, Gianluca, 2012. "The determinants of university–industry collaboration in food science in Italy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 710-718.
    16. Muscio, Alessandro & Quaglione, Davide & Scarpinato, Michele, 2012. "The effects of universities' proximity to industrial districts on university–industry collaboration," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 639-650.
    17. Bijedić, Teita & Schröder, Christian & Werner, Arndt & Chen, Xiangyu, 2023. "How do working conditions, network relationships, and institutional support offers effect entrepreneurial intentions of German university scientists?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    18. Nasirov, Shukhrat & Joshi, Amol M., 2023. "Minding the communications gap: How can universities signal the availability and value of their scientific knowledge to commercial organizations?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    19. William R. Meek & Matthew S. Wood, 2016. "Navigating a Sea of Change: Identity Misalignment and Adaptation in Academic Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(5), pages 1093-1120, September.
    20. Albahari, Alberto & Pérez-Canto, Salvador & Barge-Gil, Andrés & Modrego, Aurelia, 2017. "Technology Parks versus Science Parks: Does the university make the difference?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 13-28.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Third mission; Technology transfer; Knowledge transfer; Organization; Technical University; Generalist University; Academic specialization; Professors’ attitude; I21; I23; I28; O31; O32; O52;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O52 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Europe

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:39:y:2014:i:3:p:472-486. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.