System Analysis of Technology Transfer Policies and Models in Higher Education

The current chapter presents a critical evaluation of the modes of knowledge and technology transfer from academia, based on the evaluation of data which spans over the last three decades and a case study of technology transfer in the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, and smart robotics. A need emerges for reevaluating and revisiting university policies with regards to its third mission. Such policies should be set to guide the activities of the Technology Transfer Offices of universities, to balance between technology commercialization, which is more linear in nature, and technology transfer with industry, which is more holistic, interactive, and entrepreneurial in nature. Greater emphasis on technology transfer and more intimate cooperation with industry may result in an increase in research funding as well as in improved level and significance of research. More than that, such policies are more likely to be met by support of the academic faculty, and they should be an inherent part of the development of entrepreneurial activities in universities, which include education that is suitable to the needs of the industry and society, as well as more significant and effective research. It is recommended that the achievements of the universities regarding the third mission should be quantified and ranked on the national and international levels. They should be based on multiple indices to reflect various modes of achieving such goals, in view of the range of mechanisms of university–industry interactions.