Competitive Strategies for Academic Entrepreneurship: Commercialization of Research-Based Products

In recent years, the pace of technological growth—from the very first stages of research and development to full-scale industrial implementation—has quickened at an exponential rate. To better keep pace with rapidly-changing market demands, the gap between university research incubators and public-sector start-up companies has undergone a marked contraction. Competitive Strategies for Academic Entrepreneurship: Commercialization of Research-Based Products seeks to fill the gap in research between universities and the public, and offers cutting-edge insight into the current state of the field. Charting a course that moves from discussions of academic resistance and implications for knowledge-transfer theory to current case-studies of academic/industrial launch-pads like COTEC’s Technology Commercialization Accelerator and the Maryland Industrial Partnerships program, this publication targets an audience of academicians, administrators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and established professionals, and seeks to provide insight into the mechanisms by which the research of today becomes the household names of tomorrow.

Anna Szopa, PhD, designs and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. She holds an MS in Quality Management from Silesian University of Technology and earned her doctoral degree from Jagiellonian University examining innovation strategies of spin-off companies. She has twelve years experience in managing companies including research and consultancy. She awarded the fellowship of the The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (Sylff). She was a visiting researcher at Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute and University of Central Florida. Her primary research interests include university-industry relationships and university spin-offs. She is and editor of books about innovations, and published several articles in management journals and books.

Waldemar Karwowski, PhD, DSc, PE, is Professor and Chairman, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems and Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering at the University of Central Florida, USA. He holds an M.S. (1978) in Production Engineering and Management from the Technical University of Wroclaw, Poland, and a PhD (1982) in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University. He was awarded DSc (dr habil.) degree in management science by the State Institute for Organization and Management in Industry, Poland (2004). He also received Honorary Doctorate degrees from three European universities. He is the author or coauthor of over 350 scientific publications, and is Certified Professional Ergonomist (BCPE). Dr. Karwowski was named the J. B. Speed School of Engineering Alumni Scholar for Research, University of Louisville (20042006). He served as member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Engineering Societies (20062007), and Executive Board of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, Washington, D.C. (2007-2009). Dr. Karwowski currently serves on the Committee on Human Systems Integration, National Research Council of the National Academies, USA (20072009), and as Editor of the Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing journal, and Editor-in-Chief of Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science journal.