Abstract
Mechanisms for increasing technology transfer between universities and industry have proliferated rapidly in the United States as institutions of higher education have become much more entrepreneurial. The economic implications of these activities have received substantial attention and the sociological aspects of this process have been vigorously debated (e.g. the effect of university-industry relationships on academic integrity). Much less consideration has been given to the successful organization and management of these emerging university ‘service’ units. The study presents results of a national survey of the organization, management, and perceived performance effectiveness of university technology transfer units. Units studied included: licensing and patenting offices (units seeking commercial applications for university research); small business development centers (units providing technical or managerial assistance to entrepreneurs or small businesses); research and technology centers (units operating or participating in facilities for the development of new technology); incubators (units managing facilities in support of new technology-based businesses); and investment/endowment offices (units utilizing the university's financial resources for equity in start-up businesses). The implications of the research for university management and government policy are explored.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, T.J. (1985).Managing the Flow of Technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Badawy, M.K. (1982).Developing Managerial Skills in, Engineers and Scientists. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Baldridge, J.V., Curtis, D.V., Ecker, G.P., and Riley, G.L. (1978).Policy Making and Effective Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1987).The Carnegie Classification of Higher Education. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Clark, B.R. (1983).The Higher Education System. Berkeley: The University of California Press.
Clark, B.R. (1987).The Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds Princeton: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
DeMeyer, A. (1985). ‘The flow of technological innovation in an R&D department’,Research Policy 14(1), 315–328.
Dertouzos, M.L., Lester, R.K., and Solow, R.M. (1990).Made in America: Regaining the Productive Edge. Scranton, Pa: Harper Collins.
Dill, D.D. (1985). ‘Theory versus practice in the staffing of R&D laboratoires’.R&D Management 15(3), 227–241.
Dill, D.D. (1990). ‘University/industry research collaborations: an analysis of interorganizational relationships’,R&D Management 20(2), 123–129.
Fairweather, J.S. (1988).Entrepreneurship and Higher Education: Lessons for Colleges, Universities and Industry. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education, Report No. 6. Washington, D.C.: Association for the Study of Higher Education.
Fairweather, J.S. (1989). ‘Academic research and instruction: the industrial connection’,Journal of Higher Education 60(3), 388–407.
Feller, I. (1990). ‘Universities as engines of R&D-based economic growth: they think they can’,Research Policy 19(4), 335–348.
Garvin, D. (1988).Managing Quality: The Strategic and Competitive Edge. New York: Free Press.
Geiger, R.L. (1988). ‘Milking the sacred cow: research and the quest for useful knowledge in the American university since 1920’.Science, Technology and Human Values 13(3–4), 322–348.
Geiger, R.L. (1990). ‘Organized research units — their role in the development of university research’,The Journal of Higher Education 61(1), 1–19.
Geiger, R.L. (1992). ‘The ambiguous link: private industry and university research’, in Becker, W.E., and Lewis, D.R. (eds.),The Economics of Higher Education. Boston: Kluwer, pp. 265–298.
Keller, R.T. (1986). ‘Predictors of performance of project groups in R&D organizations’,Academy of Management Journal 29(4), 715–726.
Larsen, J., and Wigand, R. (1987). ‘Industry-university technology transfer in microelectronics’,Policy Studies Review 6(3), 584–595.
Mayfield, L.G., and Schultzman, E. (1987). ‘Status report on the engineering research centers program’,Research Management 30(1), 35–41.
Peters, L.S., and Fusfeld, H. (1983). ‘Current U.S. university/industry research connections’, in National Science Board,University-Industry Research Relationships: Selected Studies. Washington, D.C.: National Science Foundation.
Peters, L.S., and Wheeler, P.A. (1988).Technology-Based Regional Economic Development: An Overview. Troy, NY: Center for Science and Technology Policy, R.P.I.
Powell, W.W., and Brantley, P. (1992). ‘Competitive cooperation in biotechnology: learning through networks?’, in Nohria, N., and Eccles, R.G. (eds.),Networks and Organizations: Structure, Form, and Action Boston: Harvard Business School, pp. 366–394.
Raelin, J.A. (1986).The Clash of Cultures: Managers and Professionals. Boston: Harvard Business School.
Roberts, E. (1989). ‘The personality and motivations of technological entrepreneurs’,Journal of Engineering and Technology Management 6(1), 5–24.
Schein, E. (1978).Career Dynamics: Matching Individual and Organizational Needs. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Smith, T.R., and Drabenstott, M. (1992). ‘The role of universities in regional economic development’, in Becker, W.E., and Lewis, D.R. (eds.),The Economics of Higher Education. Boston: Kluwer, pp. 199–222.
Souder, W.E. (1987). ‘The strategic management of technological innovation: a review and a model’,Journal of Management Studies 24, 25–42.
Stankiewicz, R. (1986).Academic and Entrepreneurs: Developing University-Industry Relations. London: Francis Pinter.
Tornatzky, L.G., and Fleisher, M. (1990).The Process of Technological Innovation. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington.
Tushman, M.L., and Katz, R. (1980). ‘External communication and project performance: an investigation into the role of gatekeepers’,Management Science 26(11), 1071–1085.
Van de Ven, A. (1986). ‘Central problems in the management of innovation’,Management Science 32(5), 590–607.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dill, D.D. University-industry entrepreneurship: The organization and management of American university technology transfer units. High Educ 29, 369–384 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01383958
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01383958