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Assessing the Impact of Organizational Practices on the Productivity of University Technology Transfer Offices: An Exploratory Study

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Author Info
Donald Siegel
David Waldman
Albert Link

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Abstract

We present quantitative and qualitative evidence (field research) on university technology transfer offices (TTOs). These offices negotiate licensing agreements with firms to commercialize university-based technologies. A stochastic frontier production function framework is used to assess the relative productivity of 113 university TTOs. Our field research provided a useful reality check on the specification of the econometric model. The empirical findings imply that licensing activity is characterized by constant returns to scale. Environmental and institutional factors appear to explain some of the variation in TTO efficiency. Relative productivity may also depend on organizational practices in university management of intellectual property, which potentially attenuate palpable differences in the motives, incentives, and organizational cultures of the parties to licensing agreements. Unfortunately, there are no existing data on such practices, so we rely on inductive, qualitative methods to identify them. We present detailed information on our use of these methods. This information may be useful to economists who are contemplating fieldwork. Based on 55 interviews of managers/entrepreneurs and administrators at five research universities, we conclude that the most critical organizational factors are likely to be reward systems for faculty, TTO staffing and compensation practices, and actions taken by administrators to extirpate informational and cultural barriers between universities and firms.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 7256.

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Date of creation: Jul 1999
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7256

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
L31 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Nonprofit Institutions; NGOs

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Christine Greenhalgh & Padraig Dixon, 2002. "The Economics of Intellectual Property: A Review to Identify Themes for Future Research," Economics Series Working Papers 135, University of Oxford, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Heidrun C. Hoppe & Emre Ozdenoren, 2002. "Intermediation in Innovation," CIG Working Papers FS IV 02-11, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Cassiman, Bruno & Veugelers, Reinhilde, 2003. "R&D Cooperation Between Firms and Universities: Some Empirical Evidence from Belgian Manufacturing," CEPR Discussion Papers 3951, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Cassiman, Bruno & Veugelers, Rainhilde, 2003. "Which firms have cooperative R&D agreements with universities? Some empirical evidence from Belgian manufacturing," IESE Research Papers D/502, IESE Business School. [Downloadable!]
  5. Goldfarb, Brent & Henrekson, Magnus & Rosenberg, Nathan, 2001. "Demand vs. Supply Driven Innovations: US and Swedish Experiences in Academic Entrepreneurship," Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 0436, Stockholm School of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  6. Joanna Poyago-Theotoky & John Beath & Donald S. Siegel, 2002. "Universities and Fundamental Research: Reflections on the Growth of University-Industry Partnership," Discussion Paper Series, Department of Economics 0201, Department of Economics, University of St. Andrews. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Baldini, Nicola, 2006. "The patenting universities: Problems and perils," MPRA Paper 853, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  8. Bronwyn H. Hall & Albert N. Link & John T. Scott, 2000. "Universities as Research Partners," NBER Working Papers 7643, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Goldfarb, Brent & Henrekson, Magnus, 2001. "Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Policies towards the Commercialization of University Intellectual Property," Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 463, Stockholm School of Economics, revised 26 May 2002. [Downloadable!]
  10. Bharat Bhole, 2006. "Commercial Development of University Research: The Role of Patents," Contributions to Economic Analysis & Policy, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 5(1), pages 1587-1587. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Annamaria Conti & Patrick Gaulé, 2008. "Universities and access to medicines: What is the optimal ‘humanitarian license’?," CEMI Working Papers cemi-workingpaper-2008-00, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Chaire en Economie et Management de l'Innovation. [Downloadable!]
  12. Donald S. Siegel & Phillip H. Phan, 2004. "Analyzing the Effectiveness of University Technology Transfer: Implications for Entrepreneurship Education," Rensselaer Working Papers in Economics 0426, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Aurora A.C. Teixeira & Joana Costa, 2006. "What type of firm forges closer innovation linkages with Portuguese Universities?," FEP Working Papers 207, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto. [Downloadable!]
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    Other versions:
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