The Policy Mix to Promote University-Industry Knowledge Transfer: A Conceptual Framework

Countries deploy a variety of policy instruments to promote university-industry knowledge transfer. While these instruments are often discussed in isolation, they are implemented collectively and may reinforce and complement but also weaken or even negatively affect each other. This chapter presents a conceptual framework to map policy instruments for knowledge transfer and assess the interactions between them. Positive interactions occur, for example, when a new grant scheme to support spin-offs is accompanied by the adoption of more flexible regulations regarding the participation of university professors in firms, leading to a stronger combined impact. In contrast, negative interactions are associated with potential contradictions between policy instruments or with the coexistence of various policies targeting simultaneously the same types of actors, which increases complexity, creates confusion and results in higher administrative costs. The conceptual framework developed in this chapter also aims to explain how the choice of policy instruments is influenced by national contexts and broader international trends. This framework is a useful tool for those involved in the design and evaluation of university-industry knowledge transfer policies, while offering a broad point of departure for future research.