Building Technology Transfer within Research Universities: An Entrepreneurial Approach

For the past number of years, academic entrepreneurship has become one of the most widely studied topics in the entrepreneurship literature. Yet, despite all the research that has been conducted to date, there has not been a systematic attempt to analyze critically the factors which lie behind successful business spin-offs from university research. In this book, a group of academic thought-leaders in the field of technology transfer examine a number of areas critical to the promotion of start-ups on campus. Through a series of case studies, they examine current policies, structures, program initiatives and practices of fourteen international universities to develop a theory of successful academic entrepreneurship, with the aim of helping other universities to enhance the quality of their university transfer programs. This book is a valuable resource for university research administrators, technology transfer office professionals, academic entrepreneurs, incubator management officials, R&D managers, venture capitalists, researchers, policymakers, and others involved in the commercialization of intellectual property.

Thomas J. Allen is the Howard W. Johnson Professor of Management, Emeritus and Professor of Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His long-term research focuses on project management in the pharmaceutical and aerospace industries. Specializing in organizational psychology and management, he explores the relationship between organizational structure and behavior, the role of technological gatekeepers in technology transfer, and how a building's layout influences communication.

Rory O'Shea is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His research is primarily focused on the commercialization of academic research, with a particular emphasis on the optimal organizational and financial mechanisms for transferring university-based IP into knowledge-based start-ups. He teaches courses in the areas of new venture finance, technology strategy and entrepreneurship.