Universities around the world are being encouraged to find
ways of commercialising their research, the assumption being that this always a
good thing. However not all university tech
transfer offices are able to operate at a profit, and so questions need to be
asked about whether all universities should attempt commercialisation. The following points are from the report ‘University
Start-Ups: Critical for Improving Technology Transfer’ which concerns university
tech transfer in the US.
1. All 206 US
universities which carry out high levels of research activity have technology
transfer offices (TTOs). However TTOs are
costly and in 2012 84% of them did not make enough money to cover staff wages
and patents costs.
2. There is great
asymmetry in the distribution of licencing income for universities. The top 5%
took 50% of the licensing income and the top 10% took nearly
three-quarters. This asymmetry is
unchanging with only 37 universities able to reach the top 20 of licensing
revenue in the last decade.
3. TTOs often look to
produce blockbuster patents, such as the gene splicing Cohen-Boyer patent that
yielded $255 million for Stanford and UCSF.
However in reality such patents are rare.
4. Universities are
therefore increasingly turning to the ‘start-up’ model as a way of commercialising
research. TTOs can afford to set up
start-ups with help from government and investors. Start-ups will licence high-risk low-fee
patents and provide an environment for the technology to be developed with the
help of university scientists.
5. Setting up
start-ups is seen by the government as fostering entrepreneurship and
attracting high-tech industry to the university’s region.
6. For TTOs start-ups
allow managing of financial risk, diversification and active management of the
investment portfolio. Start-ups allow better integration of the university into
the market system and more proactive partnering with the private sector.
7. The government
should provide greater experimental use exemptions for start-ups.
8. Recognising the present
asymmetry of success in commercialising research the government should seek to
distribute its funding more equitably.
9. The much-talked
about ‘innovation deficit’ could be met with more imaginative ways of harnessing
the new knowledge and know-how which is being produced (rather than increased
government funding for research).
Start-ups may assist this.
10. Start-ups may
also be an environment which more effectively converts intellectual value to
economic value (compared to university research or licencing).
You may also wish to see related articles Problems
of Patenting and Commercialising University Research and Patent
Advice for Tech Transfer Offices.
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