Inbound and outbound strategies to overcome technology transfer barriers from university to industry: a compendium for technology transfer offices

ABSTRACT

This study identifies and discusses strategies for enhancing the efficiency of technology transferring from university to the industrial sector, concerning activities carried out by Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). The study answers two research questions: (i) What barriers hamper academic research transferring to industry? (ii) What are the inbound and outbound strategies for transferring academic research results to industry? Our findings show that the main barriers that hamper technology transfer are related to organisational, technical, human, and cultural factors comprising the academic and industrial environments. Regarding strategies, our findings reveal a comprehensive list of inbound and outbound strategies that might be implemented to cope with the ambidextrous nature of the TTOs and increase technology transfer. Finally, we discuss our findings and the relationship between the main barriers and the boundary-spanning strategies to support a more effective Technology Transfer process.

KEYWORDS:

• Technology transfer
• research management
• university-industry collaboration
• technological innovation

JEL:

• O31
• O32
• O34

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel in Brazil (CAPES – Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for the financial support received to conduct this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and material

Not applicable

Code availability

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Additional information

Funding

This research was financially funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel in Brazil (CAPES – Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior).

Notes on contributors

Jaime Roberto Pohlmann

Jaime Roberto Pohlmann, MSc, is a PhD candidate in Industrial Engineering of the Graduate Programme on Industrial Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). He also holds a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering from the same institution. His research mainly focuses on Technology Transfer, Innovation Management, University-Industry Collaboration, and Innovation Ecosystems. ORCID: 0000-0001-8442-2961

Jose Luis Duarte Ribeiro

Jose Luis Duarte Ribeiro, Dr. Eng, is a full professor and the Senior Technological Development Officer at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Previously he was the head of the Industrial Engineering Graduate Programme, head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Transport, and President of the Brazilian Production Engineering Association for two consecutive terms. His areas of interest include Quality, Reliability, Service Management, Innovation Management, and Sustainable Innovation. ORCID: 0000-0002-5795-4468.

Arthur Marcon

Arthur Marcon, MSc, is a PhD candidate in Industrial Engineering of the Graduate Programme on Industrial Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). He also holds a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering from the same institution. His research mainly focuses on innovation ecosystems, startup innovation, and sustainability. He was a member of the G-SCOP research centre at the Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP) – France. ORCID: 0000-0003-0334-3853