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The Impact of Private Ownership, Incentives and Local Development Objectives on University Technology Transfer Performance

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  • Sharon Belenzon
  • Mark Schankerman

Abstract

We study the impact of private ownership, incentive pay and local development objectives on university licensing performance. We develop and test a simple contracting model of technology licensing offices, using new survey information together with panel data on U.S. universities for 1995-99. We find that private universities are much more likely to adopt incentive pay than public ones, but ownership does not affect licensing performance conditional on the use of incentive pay. Adopting incentive pay is associated with about 30-40 percent more income per license. Universities with strong local development objectives generate about 30 percent less income per license, but are more likely to license to local (in-state) startup companies. In addition, we show that government constraints on university licensing activity are .costly. in terms of foregone license income and the creation of start-up companies. These results are robust to controls for observed and unobserved heterogeneity.

Suggested Citation

  • Sharon Belenzon & Mark Schankerman, 2007. "The Impact of Private Ownership, Incentives and Local Development Objectives on University Technology Transfer Performance," CEP Discussion Papers dp0779, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0779
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    Cited by:

    1. Paula E. Stephan, 2008. "Science and the University: Challenges for Future Research," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 54(2), pages 313-324.
    2. Pablo D’Este & Puay Tang & Surya Mahdi & Andy Neely & Mabel Sánchez-Barrioluengo, 2013. "The pursuit of academic excellence and business engagement: is it irreconcilable?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 95(2), pages 481-502, May.
    3. Darcy, Jacques & Kraemer-Eis, Helmut & Debande, Olivier & Guellec, Dominique, 2009. "Financing Technology Transfer," EIF Working Paper Series 2009/02, European Investment Fund (EIF).
    4. Elvira Uyarra, 2009. "Conceptualizing the Regional Roles of Universities, Implications and Contradictions," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(8), pages 1227-1246, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    incentives; performance pay; universities; technology transfer; licensing; local development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business

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