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Traditional Versus Heterodox Motives for Academic Patenting: Evidence from the Netherlands

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  • Isabel Maria Bodas Freitas
  • Alessandro Nuvolari

Abstract

This paper examines what motivates university researchers to patent the results of collaborative research with business firms. We provide evidence of the existence of a motivational academic patenting space comprising (i) an industry-driven domain related to traditional-market motives (protection of inventions that will be commercialized); (ii) a university-driven domain driven by various (“heterodox”) motives related mostly to signalling specific research competences and (iii) a “hybrid” publicly driven domain related to projects aligned to the research agendas of public sponsors. These three types of motivations reflect the connections between academic patenting and different types of innovation, and the roles of industry partners in proposing, financing and performing specific research projects. We use data from 16 in depth case studies of innovations developed by Dutch universities to provide preliminary empirical evidence of this typology of motivational spaces for patenting university knowledge.

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  • Isabel Maria Bodas Freitas & Alessandro Nuvolari, 2012. "Traditional Versus Heterodox Motives for Academic Patenting: Evidence from the Netherlands," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(8), pages 671-695, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:indinn:v:19:y:2012:i:8:p:671-695
    DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2012.739775
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    2. Andrea Bonaccorsi & Massimo Colombo & Massimiliano Guerini & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2014. "The impact of local and external university knowledge on the creation of knowledge-intensive firms: evidence from the Italian case," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 261-287, August.
    3. Arqué-Castells, Pere & Cartaxo, Rui M. & García-Quevedo, Jose & Godinho, Manuel Mira, 2016. "Royalty sharing, effort and invention in universities: Evidence from Portugal and Spain," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1858-1872.
    4. Gianluca Murgia, 2021. "The impact of collaboration diversity and joint experience on the reiteration of university co-patents," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 1108-1143, August.
    5. Adam Karbowski, 2021. "Unproductive entrepreneurship and patents," Bank i Kredyt, Narodowy Bank Polski, vol. 52(5), pages 473-494.

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