A considerable body of work highlights the relevance of collaborative research, contract research, consulting and informal relationships for university-industry knowledge transfer. We present a systematic review of research on academic scientists’ involvement in these activities to which we refer as ‘academic engagement’. Apart from extracting findings that are generalisable across studies, we ask how academic engagement differs from commercialization, defined as intellectual property creation and academic entrepreneurship. We identify the individual, organizational and institutional antecedents and consequences of academic engagement, and then compare these findings with the antecedents and consequences of commercialization. Apart from being more widely practiced, academic engagement is distinct from commercialization in that it is closely aligned with traditional academic research activities, and pursued by academics to access resources supporting their research agendas. We conclude by identifying future research needs, opportunities for methodological improvement and policy interventions. (Published version available via open access)

Academic Engagement and Commercialisation: A Review of the Literature on University-Industry Relations

http://calitc.pbworks.com/f/TechTransferStudy.pdf

Technology transfer and public policy: a review of research and theory

http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/104445/1/Academic%20engagement.pdf

Academic engagement and commercialisation : A review of the literature on university-industry relations

The literature on university entrepreneurship is rapidly expanding, in both the United States and Europe. Since the literature is also fairly fragmented, however, we submit that it is time to take stock of the current knowledge to provide directions for future research and guideposts for policy makers. To accomplish this, we present an unusually comprehensive and detailed literature analysis of the stream of research on university entrepreneurship, now encompassing 173 articles published in a variety of academic journals. Four major research streams emerge in this area of study: (i) entrepreneurial research university, (ii) productivity of technology transfer offices, (iii) new firm creation, and (iv) environmental context including networks of innovation. We inductively derive a framework describing the dynamic process of university entrepreneurship based on a synthesis of the literature. We submit that this framework is useful in guiding future research on this important, yet complex and under-researched topic.

/pdf/university-entrepreneurship-a-taxonomy-of-the-literature-4b9y2nciv4.pdf

Yong S. Lee

Papers

'technology transfer' and the research university : a search for the boundaries of university-industry collaboration