The role of academic technology transfer organizations in improving industry science links

The transfer of scientific and technological know-how into valuable economic activity has become a high priority on many policy agendas. Industry Science Links (ISLs) are an important dimension of this policy orientation. Over the last decades, multiple insights have been gained (both theoretical and empirical) as to how "effective" ISLs can be fostered through the design and the development of university-based technology transfer organizations (TTOs). In this paper, we document and analyze the evolution of "effective" university-based technology transfer mechanisms. We describe how decentralized organizational approaches and incentives that stimulate the active involvement of the research groups in the exploitation of their research findings might be combined with specialized central services offering intellectual property management and spin-off support. More particularly, we analyze how the creation of: (1) an appropriate balance between centralization and decentralization within academia; (2) the design of appropriate incentive structures for academic research groups; (3) the implementation of appropriate decision and monitoring processes within the TTO has brought about critical elements in fostering an "effective" commercialization of the academic science base. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.