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University Autonomy and Commercialization of Publicly Funded Research: the Case of Latvia

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  • Lauma Muizniece

    (Tallinn University of Technology)

Abstract

Commercialization of publicly funded research has been widely discussed in academic literature since the introduction of the Bayh-Dole Act in the 1980s in the USA. Existing literature primarily focused on the role of universities, models of technology transfer, and incentives that facilitate it. By focusing on university autonomy as one of the key variables, this article shows that incentives for research commercialization can be affected by a top-down implementation that disregards the needs and capabilities of universities to exploit them. By examining research commercialization in Latvia using secondary data and interviews, this exploratory case study shows that external funding sources set the overall direction of policy instruments, focus on quantifiable outputs to increase accountability, and are excessively restrictive while at the same time not addressing the path dependency. The results of this study suggest that by allowing greater flexibility and experimentation with funding, universities could develop entrepreneurial culture and address other deficiencies and commercialize their research more successfully.

Suggested Citation

  • Lauma Muizniece, 2021. "University Autonomy and Commercialization of Publicly Funded Research: the Case of Latvia," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 12(3), pages 1494-1516, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:12:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s13132-020-00681-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-020-00681-x
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    3. Nafari, Javid & Honig, Benson & Siqueira, Ana Cristina O., 2024. "Promoting academic social intrapreneurship: Developing an international virtual incubator and fostering social impact," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).

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