Showing papers in "Journal of Technology Transfer in 2019"

Entrepreneurial ecosystems: economic, technological, and societal impacts

Abstract: Despite the overwhelming use of the metaphor ‘ecosystem’ in academia, industry, policy, and management, exact definitions of what ‘ecosystems’ really comprise are scarce and often inconsistent. Existing vague descriptions in the literature do not consider the boundaries of respective agglomerations, hence, they impede the evaluation of performance and outcome measures of respective ecosystems. This special issue is a first attempt to trace the ‘ecosystem’ discussion back to its roots—the ancient oikos, coined by the Greek philosopher Hesiod (700 BC), and aims to critically reflect on the usage of the term ‘ecosystem’, briefly summarize the extant literature and grasp the main features of entrepreneurial ecosystems, namely the economic, technological, and societal dimensions of entrepreneurial ecosystems. We intend to focus on the key elements that characterize an ecosystem, and hence, untangle under what conditions entrepreneurial firms shape and influence economic, technological, and societal thinking within their ecosystem.

Knowledge transfer in university–industry research partnerships: a review

Abstract: This paper identifies practices that can facilitate knowledge transfer in university–industry (U–I) research partnerships by systematically reviewing extant literature. We aim to contribute to the theoretical development in the field of academic engagement and propose that knowledge transfer provides a valuable perspective. We started our review with identifying barriers and facilitators of knowledge transfer. Extant literature identified knowledge differences and differences in goals resulting from different institutional cultures as important barriers to knowledge transfer. They result in ambiguity, problems with knowledge absorption and difficulties with the application of knowledge. Trust, communication, the use of intermediaries and experience are found as facilitators for knowledge transfer that help to resolve the identified barriers. Our analysis offers practical advice for the management of academic engagement. Finally, we identified questions for future research based on inconsistencies in extant research and open questions we encountered during our analysis.

Mapping the field: a bibliometric analysis of the literature on university–industry collaborations

Abstract: The substantial acknowledgement of university–industry (U–I) collaborations as promotor of economic progress, innovativeness and competitiveness fostered a continuous research engagement. At the same time, the U–I literature experienced a notable increase in the past decade, transforming into a multi-faceted and ambiguous research field, characterised by highly complex interlinks. The recent transformation hinders a comprehensive understanding of the latest developments in research directions and their clear delineation. Therefore, the purpose of this bibliometric literature review is to examine the evolution of the field and identify the primary emerging patterns. This paper employs co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling techniques to analyse the U–I publications dataset. The findings indicate that the U–I collaborations research can be systematically clustered, resulting in an interconnected ecosystem consisting of three levels: individual, organisational and institutional, respectively. Thus, this review presents the immense contribution that the analysis of U–I collaborations makes to various research streams. Building on these findings and employing qualitative content analysis on the clustered publications, the paper develops a research agenda that encourages future investigations of previously overlooked features of U–I collaborations in general, and their role across levels of analysis, contexts and stages of the collaboration process in particular.

The development, growth, and performance of university spin-offs: a critical review

Abstract: The literature examining university spin-offs is expanding rapidly. While most studies have examined the antecedents of spin-off creation at universities, the impact of spin-offs commercializing university research cannot be properly assessed without considering how these firms develop, grow, and perform over time. This study provides a systematic review of a recent research stream addressing the development, growth, and performance of university spin-offs. By critically analyzing 105 research papers published since 2000, this paper makes two main contributions. First, we present a conceptual framework outlining the variety of outcomes used in the literature to assess the development, growth and performance of university spin-offs, as well as the determinants of these outcomes at different levels of analysis. Second, we critically assess gaps in the extant literature and discuss promising directions for future research. We conclude that the university spin-off phenomenon provides an excellent empirical context for conducting research that contributes to more general theoretical discussions related to entrepreneurship, innovation and management.

Who is left out: exploring social boundaries in entrepreneurial ecosystems

Abstract: This study attempts to develop our understanding of the ecosystem as a complex social construct by advancing a social network perspective. Based on personal interviews we model the entrepreneurial ecosystems of two municipalities through a diverse network of entrepreneurs, investors, and institutional leaders. The two ecosystems were characterized and compared on measures related to the level of connectivity between actors, the existence of social boundaries, the role and position of actors with certain attributes (e.g. women, minorities) and the presence of ties in multiple social contexts (e.g. friend and investor). Our results suggest that entrepreneurial ecosystems consist of different social clusters, forming boundaries along venture type (e.g. high-growth, lifestyle), type of support institution (e.g. university, government agency), gender, race, and ethnicity. High-growth/technology entrepreneurs, for example, were predominantly white, male and strongly connected to technology commercialization and acceleration programs. In contrast, entrepreneurs operating survival ventures are mainly non-white, female and often socially disconnected from the main institutions. We also found differences with respect to network connectivity between stakeholders in both ecosystems. Based on our findings, we draw managerial implications for different stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The UBC ecosystem: putting together a comprehensive framework for university-business cooperation

Abstract: The potential for a functional ‘triple helix’ to contribute to economic development is being increasingly accepted and embraced, particularly the bilateral relationship between higher education institutions (HEIs) and business. However, university-business cooperation (UBC) is still a fragmented and indistinct field of research, and the understanding of UBC remains inadequate since most research is undertaken around specific elements, rather than as an encompassing, overarching and interconnected system. This paper aims fills this gap in the literature by putting the pieces together to create an integrated and comprehensive conceptual UBC framework for HEIs, the UBC Ecosystem. The framework illustrates the components present in the UBC environment for HEIs, such as inputs, activities, outcomes, outputs, impacts, supporting mechanisms, circumstances and context, specifying a wide range of sub-elements for each of them. In doing so, this paper makes a strong theoretical contribution with the creation of a conceptual framework, highlighting the more important elements and their interrelations as well as suggesting future research. Additionally, the paper makes a practical contribution, establishing a common UBC schema for HEI managers and policymakers to make strategic and operative decisions, and used as a base for evidence-based management and policy.

Effectiveness of Technology Transfer Policies and Legislation in Fostering Entrepreneurial Innovations across Continents: An overview

Abstract: The purpose of this article and the special issue is to improve our understanding of the theoretical, managerial, and policy implications of the effectiveness of technology transfer policies on entrepreneurial innovation. We accomplish this objective by examining the relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and public policies in the 186 papers published from 1970 to 2019. Our analysis begins by clarifying the definition of entrepreneurial innovations and outlining the published research per context. We then present the seven papers that contribute to this special issue. We conclude by outlining an agenda for additional research on this topic.

The impact of university focused technology transfer policies on regional innovation and entrepreneurship

Abstract: Within the technology transfer field, there have been numerous empirical studies taking US data and context that have examined the impact and effect of government legislation aimed at supporting effective technology transfer, particularly from universities and federal research laboratories to the market. However, there is a paucity of such studies in other geographical domains. Existing studies have further not focused on examining the simultaneous effects on entrepreneurial and innovative outcomes of university focused technology transfer policies. We address these research gaps by examining the effects of a far-reaching legislation change in Germany, reforming the old ‘professor’s privilege’ (Hochschullehrerprivileg). The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether regional entrepreneurial and innovative outcomes have been affected by this legislative change in intellectual property rights of inventions made by scientists. Our results suggest that this legislative change did have an initial positive effect on universities as measured by start-ups and patents. The effect yet changed over time, leading to some unintended consequences. Our paper argues that policy makers and legislators need to give consideration to the replication of policy and legislative instruments from other contexts along with the criteria that are used to measure success.

Collaborative know-how and trust in university–industry collaborations: empirical evidence from ICT firms

Abstract: This paper builds upon the knowledge-based view and organizational learning perspective. It develops and empirically tests a conceptual model to analyse the drivers and benefits of university–industry cooperation from the firm perspective. We used structural equation modeling to examine data collected from a sample of small and medium-sized Italian firms in the information and communication technology sector. We found that past collaborative experience increases the benefits drawn from university–industry cooperation. Both collaborative know-how and trust, however, play a significant mediating role on the relationship between collaborative experience and benefits. In particular, collaborative know-how is the main factor enhancing intangible benefits, such as knowledge transfer and learning, while trust is the main driver of tangible benefits, such as product and process innovations. Taken together, these findings suggest that firms should develop strategic competences to fully benefit from collaborations with universities because past collaborative experience alone is not sufficient. From the policy point of view, effort is needed to build channels and tools enhancing trust between industry and university, especially to support small firms.

Seed accelerators and the speed of new venture creation

Abstract: Technology startups need to launch, simultaneously and quickly, innovative products (or services) and organizations, but some are able to launch more quickly than others. This paper explores how some ventures start up very quickly, and the mechanisms by which accelerator programs assist nascent technology ventures to minimize startup time. Through four in-depth case studies of clean technology ventures that started up quickly, two with and two without the aid of accelerators, the rapid launch of startups is explored and accelerator mechanisms are clarified: survival (starting up quickly is a matter of survival), resource network (starting up quickly requires leveraging pre-existing networks) and catching up (accelerators fill gaps to allow inexperienced entrepreneurs to start up quickly). The three mechanisms speed up the launch process and organize scarcity management to motivate the top management team. The paper proposes to extend the minimum viable product concept to the minimum viable start-up as a consequence of acceleration. These three mechanisms for speeding up innovative venture launch are tied to increasing entrepreneurial orientation in the startup technology firm. The practical perspective assists managers of accelerator programs (university-based, economic development, non-profit or for-profit) to design and implement programs that will more effectively fill gaps to help ventures to start up more quickly.

Innovation practices in emerging economies: Do university partnerships matter?

Abstract: Enterprises’ resources and capabilities determine their ability to achieve competitive advantage. In this regard, the key innovation challenges that enterprises face are liabilities associated with their age and size, and the entry barriers imposed on them. In this line, a growing number of enterprises are starting to implement innovation practices in which they employ both internal/external flows of knowledge in order to explore/exploit innovation in collaboration with commercial or scientific agents. Within this context, universities play a significant role providing fertile knowledge-intensive environments to support the exploration and exploitation of innovative and entrepreneurial ideas, especially in emerging economies, where governments have created subsidies to promote enterprise innovation through compulsory university partnerships. Based on these ideas, the purpose of this exploratory research is to provide a better understanding about the role of universities on enterprises’ innovation practices in emerging economies. More concretely, in the context of Mexico, we explored the enterprises’ motivations to collaborate with universities in terms of innovation purposes (exploration and exploitation) or alternatives to access to public funds (compulsory requirement of being involved in a university partnership). Using a sample of 10,167 Mexican enterprises in the 2012 Research and Technological Development Survey collected by the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography, we tested a multinomial regression model. Our results provide insights about the relevant role of universities inside enterprises’ exploratory innovation practices, as well as, in the access of R&D research subsidies.

Crowdfunding in healthcare

Abstract: Medical crowdfunding is the practice of using websites to raise money from donors to pay for medicalcare or related expenses. While in terms of overall funding volume, medical crowdfunding should still be considered as a niche phenomenon, it is rapidly growing in many countries and is seen by many people as a way to cope with government cuts on public health financing. Examining the worldwide population of healthcare crowdfunding platforms, this study is the first to offer global and cross-platform evidence on healthcare crowdfunding by providing an assessment of how and where healthcare crowdfunding platforms emerge. We explore the relationship between healthcare crowdfunding and national health systems, finding evidence of a substitution effect when public health coverage is low. Moreover, our findings support the evidence that the number of successfully funded health projects is higher when the platform is not investment-based or dedicated only to healthcare projects.

The contribution of science parks: a literature review and future research agenda

Abstract: Over the past decades, public policy has promoted the establishment of science parks to support the development and growth of technology-based firms and, as such, spur economic prosperity. However, despite the worldwide proliferation of science parks and scholarly interest, their contribution is yet to be fully understood. This paper presents the current state of knowledge on science park contribution using the Input–Mediator–Outcome framework and is based upon an analysis of 175 journal articles published between 1988 and 2018. Furthermore, the paper uncovers critical methodological and theoretical deficiencies in the literature, and identifies promising avenues for future research, which will provide important insights to both academics and practitioners.

Evaluating and comparing entrepreneurial ecosystems using SMAA and SMAA-S

Abstract: This paper focuses on the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a set of interdependent and coordinated factors in a territory enabling entrepreneurship. To date, academic research has failed to produce methodologies for evaluating and comparing entrepreneurial ecosystems from different perspectives that can highlight the underlying factors. Moreover, there is a lack of empirical analysis that discriminates between factors according to their importance. Taking into account these two gaps, the aim of the paper is twofold. First, it proposes the application of an accurate, robust and reliable measurement technique, namely stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis (SMAA). It considers the variability of weights that can be assigned to the different factors, producing a probabilistic ranking to obtain a comparison among entrepreneurial ecosystems. This ranking is more reliable than a single ranking proposed by the usual composite indices that take into account a single vector of weights. Second, the paper presents a new methodology, SMAA for strategic management analytics and assessment, or SMAA squared (SMAA-S), which detects the relation between entrepreneurial ecosystem factors and growth-oriented start-ups in a territory. The results show that the most relevant entrepreneurial ecosystem factors enabling the birth and activity of high-growth start-ups, and so impacting on technology, economy and society, can be identified in cultural and social norms, government programs, and internal market dynamics.

Evolving missions and university entrepreneurship: academic spin-offs and graduate start-ups in the entrepreneurial society

Abstract: A recent call has urged to broaden the conceptualization of university entrepreneurship in order to appreciate the heterogeneity of contexts and actors involved in the process of entrepreneurial creation. A gap still persists in the understanding of the variety of ventures generated by different academic stakeholders, and the relationships between these entrepreneurial developments and university missions, namely, teaching and research. This paper addresses this particular gap by looking at how university teaching and research activities influence universities’ entrepreneurial ventures such as academic spin-offs and graduate start-ups. Empirically, we analyse the English higher education sector, drawing on institutional data at the university level. First, we explore the ways in which teaching and research activities are configured, and secondly, we examine how such configurations relate to academic spin-offs and graduate start-ups across different universities over time. Our findings suggest, first, that the evolution of USOs and graduate start-ups exhibit two different pathways over time; and second, that teaching and research both affect entrepreneurial ventures but their effect is different.

R&D transfer, policy and innovative ambitious entrepreneurship: evidence from Latin American countries

Abstract: In this article, we explore the effectiveness of government intervention, R&D, and pro-innovation mechanisms in the likelihood of being an innovative entrepreneur with high ambitions of growing, in the particular context of Latin America and the Caribbean. We use a longitudinal approach, with a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression procedure. The data comes mainly from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and the Global Competitiveness Index. The sample covers 14 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean between 2006 and 2015. The results provide empirical insights about firm and individual characteristics that explain the likelihood of being an innovative and ambitious entrepreneur. We also find that effective and narrowed policies in addition to an innovation-driven environment, also increases innovative-ambitious entrepreneurs. The paper includes implications for policy makers that want to enhance local entrepreneurial framework conditions.

Public sector innovation: the effect of universities

Abstract: A growing literature in public management has identified the key role that innovation can play in enhancing agency efficiency, effectiveness, performance and legitimacy. However, considerably less is known about the actual sources of knowledge generating innovative activity in the public sector. This paper fills this crucial gap in the literature by explicitly analyzing the link between a key source of knowledge and ideas, universities, and the innovative activities of public organizations. By utilizing a new source of data, this paper is able to show that not only do universities play a key role in generating innovative activity in public organizations, but the nature of innovations and their impact on public sector performance are related to the role played by universities. The findings suggest that universities play a key role in generating innovative activity in public organizations as doing so can increase the quality of public services, employee job satisfaction, and interagency collaboration.

An evolving regional innovation network: collaboration among industry, university, and research institution in China’s first technology hub

Abstract: Collaboration among industry, university, and research institution (IUR) is dialectically linked with regional resources and networks. As the best-known innovative region in China, Zhongguancun in Beijing is no exception. The purpose of this paper is to understand the innovation network of IUR collaboration in Zhongguancun, focusing on linkages between industry and university as well as public research institutes, a key mechanism for transfer and diffusion of academic research and knowledge. Starting from a qualitative analysis of the formation and development process of this network, we combine social network analysis and spatial analysis methods at firm level and reveal the temporal and spatial evolution of Zhongguancun IUR cooperative innovation network. The network has developed from a single driver relying on government-centered connections into a more diversified system based on government and market incentives. A set of large, medium and small radial sub-networks have become interwoven, resembling a hub-and-spoke spatial structure.

The impact of imitation strategy and R&D resources on incremental and radical innovation: evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

Abstract: This study proposes and tests a theoretical framework that relates a firm’s imitation strategy and its interaction with R&D resources to incremental and radical innovation. The analysis of a panel dataset of 1381 Chinese manufacturing firms in the period 2008–2014 shows that imitation strategy is positively related to incremental innovation but has an inverted U-shaped relationship with radical innovation. More interestingly, R&D resources serve as a critical boundary condition of the imitation strategy–innovation link—they strengthen the link between imitation strategy and incremental innovation but weaken the link between imitation strategy and radical innovation.

Female owners versus female managers: Who is better at introducing innovations?

Abstract: This paper uses firm-level survey for more than 100 countries to examine whether firms’ female managers or female owners were better at bringing innovations to the market than males. In contrast to most of the literature that focuses on the performance of female managers/owners, this paper addresses conduct with regard to innovation. Results show that female owners, rather than female managers, were more likely to introduce innovations. Further, R&D performing firms introduced innovations, as did larger and older firms. The presence of an informal sector and finance availability constraints actually spurred innovation introductions, with economic prosperity leading to complacency in innovation introductions.

Assessing the productivity of technology transfer offices: an analysis of the relevance of aspiration performance and portfolio complexity

Abstract: The paper investigates the productivity level of technology transfer offices (TTOs) affiliated to Spanish public universities. The proposed approach allows the development of a framework that matches universities’ technology transfer concerns with the need to accurately analyze the role of the outcome configuration of TTOs. We analyze the productivity of Spanish TTOs during 2006–2011 by computing total factor productivity models rooted in non-parametric techniques, namely the Malmquist index. The results confirm that technology transfer productivity is affected by changes in the configuration of the TTO’s outcome portfolio that result from benchmarking own and market peers’ performance levels. While benchmarking own performance levels facilitates the exploitation of internal resources and yields superior productivity results, changes in TTO’s portfolio based on comparisons with market peers might generate greater operational costs that negatively impact productivity.

Science and Technology Parks: a study of value creation for park tenants

Abstract: The literature on Science and Technology Parks (STPs) is growing rapidly and, despite the positive impact of STPs on firms found by many studies, it remains unclear how STPs create value for tenants. In this paper, we study the STP supply side through a case study in a Swedish region. We identify two components of the business support provided by parks: a configuration-oriented component, and a process-oriented component. The former refers to the static design of the business support, and the latter to the active, hands-on support provided by parks’ management. Both components must be planned carefully in order to deliver value to tenants. We also discuss some implications for policy and managers.

New technology entrepreneurship initiatives: Which strategic orientations and environmental conditions matter in the new socio-economic landscape?

Abstract: The transformation of ideas into new technologies depends not only on how knowledge diffuses but also on which context/time this transformation is developed. In the assumption that internal and environmental conditions directly affects the decision of exploiting technological opportunities, this paper explores how some strategic dynamic capabilities (entrepreneurial and export market) and supportive environmental conditions (regulative and normative) influence the configuration of technology entrepreneurship initiatives. A proposed conceptual model is tested with 30,648 ventures in 23 countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for the years 2005 (pre-financial crisis), 2008 (financial crisis), and 2011 (recession). The main findings suggest the positive role of entrepreneurial orientation and export market orientation in the development of new technology entrepreneurship initiatives. Also, environmental conditions influence on the development of initiatives of technology entrepreneurship. Particularly, the study evidences how regulative environmental conditions (property rights and government programs) enhance while other regulative conditions (support for science and technology) and normative conditions (opportunity perception and national culture) simultaneously retard the probability that a new/established venture develops new technology entrepreneurship initiatives. These effects are moderated and intensified by the influence of the economic cycles. The paper provides important insights to the field of entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategic management.

Academic entrepreneurship in South Africa: testing for entrepreneurial intentions

Abstract: Recognising the importance of academic entrepreneurship, which has been steadily increasing, we empirically test and extend the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) by incorporating institutional and organizational factors. We assemble a sample of research scientists in South Africa and administer a survey to empirically test the study hypotheses with structural equation modelling. Importantly, what sets this study’s results apart from comparable studies in entrepreneurial intentions is the dominance of attitude towards behaviour over the other antecedents. This effect demonstrates that awareness of, and exposure to, different aspects of entrepreneurship are likely to play an important role in shaping beliefs and attitudes towards academic entrepreneurship. By integrating various predictors of entrepreneurial intentions into one cohesive framework, policy makers may better understand the complementary nature of the different individual and contextual variables effecting entrepreneurial intentions. A further contribution of our study relates to evidence of the consistency of the TPB in explaining entrepreneurial intention in the South African academic entrepreneurship context. Such evidence is particularly relevant when considering that past research typically assumes but does not test that theories can be transferred from developed to emerging country contexts.

The effects of technology transfers and institutional factors on economic growth: evidence from Europe and Oceania

Abstract: Most of the literature on technology transfers (TTs) has tended to focus on a country or regional level without looking at the cross-continent flows of knowledge that are becoming ever more important due to regional trading blocs. This study fills the gap on the role of cross-continent TTs and institutional factors by focusing on the impact of environment related patents on economic growth. The continents selected for comparison are Europe and Oceania, which differ in terms of economic climate, geography and sustainability policies. In this way, we contribute to the literature on cross-continent TT policies by examining how environmental patents influence the economic growth rate of continents. This will help provide government policy with better means of enhancing TT. We conclude with the implications for managers, theory and policy in conjunction with the limitations and suggestions for future research.

Stimulating academic patenting in a university ecosystem: an agent-based simulation approach

Abstract: Technology transfer to society is—in addition to research and teaching—widely acknowledged as a third mission of modern universities. Academic entrepreneurship and academic patenting are two closely related means to do so and, more often than not, patenting activity and entrepreneurship are part of a linear sequence in the commercialization process. This paper is mainly concerned with the first step. To further academic patenting, university administrations have installed or expanded existing technology transfer offices (TTOs) as active stakeholders in the university ecosystem. These offices must find the right measures (e.g., monetary or non-monetary incentives or providing information at internal events) and offer them to the right group of scientists (e.g., departments) at the right point in time. This is challenging because scientists’ decision whether to publish or patent depends on several factors, including individual preferences, perceived normative social pressure from peers, level of information received through word-of-mouth communication or informational events, and previous first-hand experience. An agent-based simulation approach may serve as a decision aid for this purpose. Such an approach models stakeholders as ‘agents’ who interact with each other, and through these interactions, the system’s behavior evolves and can be observed. In this paper, we introduce an agent-based simulation for evaluating measures that can be employed by a TTO in order to stimulate academic patenting and, subsequently, the foundation of spin-off companies relying on such patents. The applicability of the approach is illustrated through an example.

Do firms located in science and technology parks enhance innovation performance? The effect of absorptive capacity

Abstract: This paper shows that the effect of location in science and technology parks is not homogeneous for all firms The proposed model contemplates a non-linear relationship between belonging to a science and technology park and innovation performance, considering the firm’s absorptive capacity as a moderating variable A panel dataset of firms located both in and off a park is created, and three main effects are identified Pre-catching up firms have a low absorptive capacity, and their location in a science and technology park does not improve their innovation performance Catching up firms have a medium absorptive capacity and constitute the group that can be observed to benefit more by their presence in a science and technology park Additionally, pre-frontier sharing firms has a high absorptive capacity; however, knowledge duplicity reduces the impact of science and technology parks on their innovation performance Findings arise practical implications for governments (how to assign public resources to parks?), managers of parks (how to select to the firms of a park?) and managers who need to decide about the convenience of locating their companies on a park (when my company is interested in locating in a park?)

Exploring new knowledge through research collaboration: the moderation of the global and local cohesion of knowledge networks

Abstract: Research collaboration has long been suggested as an effective way to obtain innovative outcomes. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about whether and how different research collaboration strategies inspire or inhibit firms in the exploration of new knowledge. Drawing upon the research collaboration literature and social network theory, this study examines the effects of two specific collaboration strategies (i.e., collaborating widely and collaborating deeply) on new knowledge exploration by recognizing the moderating roles of the local and global cohesion of knowledge networks. We test our hypotheses by using a manually collected sample of 730 Chinese vehicle or parts manufacturers during the period between 1985 and 2011. The empirical results suggest the positive effects of research collaboration breadth and collaboration depth on new knowledge exploration and that the global cohesion of intra-organizational knowledge networks magnifies the effect of collaboration breadth, while local cohesion negatively moderates the effect of collaboration depth on new knowledge exploration. These findings jointly indicate that a research collaboration strategy in combination with the structure of a knowledge base is crucial for obtaining novel knowledge.

Business networks and localization effects for new Swedish technology-based firms’ innovation performance

Abstract: This study examines the business networks and localization effects for new technology-based firms (NTBFs) in the context of innovation performance (the number of patents and product differentiation). In this regard, the study includes 28 variables. A survey was conducted in 2016 with 401 Swedish NTBFs that were small and young (the employment mean was 1.80 and the average age of each firm was 28.3 months). The biggest category of NTBFs was knowledge-intensive high-technology services, followed by medium high-technology manufacturing, and high-technology manufacturing. Hypotheses on how business networks and localization are related to innovation performance were tested using principal component analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The results show that the primary significant factor for innovation performance regarding business networks and localization dimensions are professional network services, while industrial and regional areas also have a positive relationship on product differentiation. Our study also shows that innovation performance enhances firms’ abilities to access external financing through professional network services (e.g., venture capital companies).

Public research and the innovation performance of new technology based firms

Abstract: Assessing the role of publicly funded scientific research in entrepreneurial ecosystems is of great interest for science and entrepreneurship policy Knowledge from academic research flows into the private sector through publications, patents, and researcher mobility as well as through direct interactions between founders and researchers at public research institutions (PRIs) New technology-based firms (NTBFs) are generally praised for high innovativeness despite their resource constraints and liability of newness This study therefore investigates the impact of direct interactions with PRIs on NTBFs’ innovation success In a large sample of NTBFs in Germany, we find that those firms engaging in such knowledge interactions are more likely to introduce new products and services to the market The strength of this association, however, depends on interaction persistency, internal R&D and the founders’ academic backgrounds Non-academic start-ups benefit more from continuous informal interactions if they pursue own R&D, which suggests that absorptive capacity matters In academic start-ups, higher intensities of both formal and informal interactions are associated with greater innovation likelihood Moreover, continuous informal interactions complement formal ones in the absence of own R&D activity