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Building Sustainable Development through Technology Transfer in a Romanian University

Author

Listed:
  • Calin S. Vac

    (Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

  • Avram Fitiu

    (Department for Environmental and Plant Protection, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

Abstract

To improve university and commercial ties with industry, many universities operate a technology transfer office (TTO) as a vehicle to support the creation of spin-off companies. Run effectively, the TTO can define roles and responsibilities, structures and processes that support the creation and development of new ventures. The challenge for universities is to create TTOs with the right skill set. This paper aims to analyze the TTO activities to support transforming research outputs into commercialization in the context of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine from Cluj-Napoca, Romania (UASVMCN). Throughout this paper, different commercialization channels, the roles of technology transfer offices and multiple associative structures are further discussed with a special focus on agricultural open innovations and technologies. This study contributes to sustainable development of both Academia and agricultural Industry research, development and commercialization activities by illustrating current innovation and technology transfer activities produced by UASVMCN and its own TTO as a catalyst entity, a new model in Romania, so that the Academia-TTO-Economy partners association draw a functional and productive triple helix. In order to assess the sustainability of using the above-mentioned TTO, the methodological tools involving analysis are implemented. Finally, this paper states that correct operating of a university TTO is a real opportunity for technology transfer, both from the perspective of an alternative to research funding or entrepreneurship, and from the cultural perspective of the university correlation to the current trends in research, innovation and technology transfer, on a unique and entrepreneurial European market.

Suggested Citation

  • Calin S. Vac & Avram Fitiu, 2017. "Building Sustainable Development through Technology Transfer in a Romanian University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-22, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:11:p:2042-:d:117859
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    Cited by:

    1. Fang Li & Sheng Zhang & Yuhuan Jin, 2018. "Sustainability of University Technology Transfer: Mediating Effect of Inventor’s Technology Service," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Călin S. Vac & Ileana Andreica & Ioana A. Roman, 2023. "Prospects for Research, Development, Innovation and Technology Transfer in Romanian Horticulture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-26, June.
    3. Preeti Chawla & Neetu Chhillar, 2025. "Study of the Factors Affecting Adaption of Sustainable Technology Transfer," Acta Universitatis Bohemiae Meridionalis, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Economics, vol. 28(1), pages 34-54.
    4. Ionut Marius CROITORU & Cosmin Alexandru SPIRIDON & Florin Ionut BRATILOVEANU & Andrei Constantin Ioan ARLET & Romanita JUMANCA, 2023. "Technology Transfer – Bibliometric Analysis of Scientific Articles in the Web of Science," Economics and Applied Informatics, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 2, pages 138-145.
    5. Adriano Mesquita Soares & João Luiz Kovaleski & Silvia Gaia & Daiane Maria de Genaro Chiroli, 2020. "Building Sustainable Development through Technology Transfer Offices: An Approach Based on Levels of Maturity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-22, February.
    6. Samira Yusef Araújo Falani Bezerra & Ana Lúcia Vitale Torkomian, 2024. "Technology Transfer Offices: a Systematic Review of the Literature and Future Perspective," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 4455-4488, March.
    7. Petra Maresova & Ruzena Stemberkova & Oluwaseun Fadeyi, 2019. "Models, Processes, and Roles of Universities in Technology Transfer Management: A Systematic Review," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-36, September.
    8. Carlos Ocampo-López & Oscar Muñoz-Blandón & Leidy Rendón-Castrillón & Margarita Ramírez-Carmona, 2023. "Post-Digital Learning for Rural Development: A Case Study of Open Biotec MOOCs in Colombia," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-29, April.
    9. Ren, Yu & Wu, Kuo-Jui & Lim, Ming K. & Tseng, Ming-Lang, 2023. "Technology transfer adoption to achieve a circular economy model under resource-based view: A high-tech firm," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    10. José Bestier Padilla Bejarano & Jhon Wilder Zartha Sossa & Carlos Ocampo-López & Margarita Ramírez-Carmona, 2023. "University Technology Transfer from a Knowledge-Flow Approach—Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Kwangsoo Shin & Eungdo Kim & EuiSeob Jeong, 2018. "Structural Relationship and Influence between Open Innovation Capacities and Performances," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, August.
    12. Alana Corsi & Fabiane Florencio Souza & Regina Negri Pagani & João Luiz Kovaleski, 2021. "Technology transfer oriented to sustainable development: proposal of a theoretical model based on barriers and opportunities," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(6), pages 5081-5112, June.
    13. Francisco-Isidoro Vega-Gomez & F. Javier Miranda & Antonio Chamorro Mera & Jesús Pérez Mayo, 2018. "The Spin-Off as an Instrument of Sustainable Development: Incentives for Creating an Academic USO," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, November.
    14. Kuldeep Singh & Madhvendra Misra, 2021. "Developing an agricultural entrepreneur inclination model for sustainable agriculture by integrating expert mining and ISM–MICMAC," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 5122-5150, April.
    15. Francisco I. Vega-Gómez & Francisco J. Miranda González & Antonio Chamorro Mera & Jesus Pérez-Mayo, 2020. "Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Skills and Their Influence on the Entrepreneurial Intention of Academics," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(2), pages 21582440209, June.
    16. Lisa Craiut & Constantin Bungau & Tudor Bungau & Cristian Grava & Pavel Otrisal & Andrei-Flavius Radu, 2022. "Technology Transfer, Sustainability, and Development, Worldwide and in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-33, November.
    17. Antonio Padilla-Meléndez & Ana Rosa Del Aguila-Obra & Nigel Lockett & Elena Fuster, 2020. "Entrepreneurial Universities and Sustainable Development. The Network Bricolage Process of Academic Entrepreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, February.
    18. Lavinia Maria Mihali & Sabina Potra & Luisa Izabel Dungan & Romeo Negrea & Adrian Cioabla, 2022. "Key Factors of AS Performance in Emerging Central and Eastern European Countries: Evidence from Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-24, July.

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