III Convegno Annuale della Società Italiana di Marketing
"IL MARKETING DELLE MEDIE IMPRESE LEADER DI MERCATO"
Parma, 24 e 25 novembre 2006
University-Industry Relationships and
Open Innovation: Exploring Knowledge Transfer
Daniela Baglieri
- University of Messina -
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Knowledge Transfer
“process…bridging the disparate cultures of the
donor and recipient organizations…involving steps
of adaptation and utilization that may change the
technology…” (Goldhol and Lund, 1983)
“…the efficiency of transfer depends on the efficacy
of information flows between a set of individuals or
organizations within a complex network of
communication paths (Rothwell and Robertson, 1973)
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
According to…
Università vive nel futuro. Produce il futuro. Opera, in quanto principale
rete di ricerca e di alta formazione del Paese per preparare quest’ultimo
a rispondere alle sfide del futuro...
È difficile farsi ascoltare e farsi capire da chi deve rispondere
legittimamente ai problemi pressanti del presente…
E tuttavia è fondamentale dialogare. Una Università isolata dal resto della
società perde i suoi punti di riferimento e diventa un sistema autoreferenziale.
Una politica e una industria senza Università barattano il futuro col
presente.
Relazione sullo Stato delle
Università Italiane,
09 nov.06
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Why to Study
University-Industry Links?
 Science and Technology as drivers of regional
development (Romer, 1990; Nelson and Romer, 1996)
 The “Triple Helix” as a model of growth
(Etzkowitz, 1990, 1998)
 The emergence of “open innovation model”
(Chesbrough,2003)
 Normative change in academic context
(Bayh-Dole Act in U.S., Loi Allègre in France, L.297/99 in Italy)
 “Cultural revolution” to get money from academic
research
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
What Roles University Plays
Education on
consolidated
knowledge
Impact on
society
Knowledge
Diffusion
to society
Postgraduate
education
University
Diffusion of results
to society
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
R&D and
innovation
Perspective
Knowledge
generation
Interaction with
industrial sectors
Knowledge
transfer
Towards the Open Innovation Model
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
The Impacts on
University-Industry Links
Interaction
with industry
Contract-research
model
(mainly devoted to
contract-research)
Open Innovation Model
(based on cooperation
with industry)
Licensing Model
(focused on exploitation
of own results
Open Science Model
(mainly devoted to
basic research)
Involvement
in IPR
No IPRs
Joint
IPRs 2006
Parma,
25 novembre
Exclusive ownership
A Taxonomy of University-Industry Links
Socialised Links
For Tacit Knowledge
Formalized
Non-socialised Links
For Codified Knowledge
Research
partnerships
Board
Members
Patents
Licensing
Academic Spin-outs
Non formalized
Networks,
Communities
Boundary
spanning
Use of scientific
publications
Joint publications
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
The benefits of academic patenting
 Transfer of marketable knowledge
(Mowery et alii, 2001; Cohen et alii,2002;)
 Promote new ventures
(Piccaluga, 2001; Zucker et alii, 2002)
 Foster the collaborations with firms
(Powell et alii, 1996; Pisano 2006)
 Signal the quality of science
(Audretsch, Stephan, 1996; Finkle, 1998; Baum et alii, 2000)
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Research Questions
1. Can university patents be a business?
2. If so, how effective is university patenting?
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Can university patents be a business?
• Sell the patent
• Licensing agreements
• License + CRADA (Cooperative Research and
Development Agreeement)
• Joint Development Agreements
• Spin-off
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Can university patents be a business?
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
How effective is university patenting?
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
How effective is university patenting?
Source: European Commission (2005), Patval Survey
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Licensing Agreements of
Italian Universities (2004)
Only 57 licensing
agreements on
33 universities
Souce : III Rapporto NetVal, 2004
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Some experiences:
Politecnico di Milano
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
How effective is university patenting?
Few Blockbuster Patents
Source: Piccaluga, 2003
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
How University Can Market Science
• Identifying the potential market for
technology
• Achieving a proper understanding of the
market needs
• Defining a suitable pricing strategy
• Enhancing the visibility
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
The potential market for technology
R&D Expenditures of OCSE Countries
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
The Sources of Innovation:
Some Evidences of Italian SMEs
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Source: Politecnico Innovazione, 2005
Understanding the Market Needs
 Foster collaborations with potential users
 Gain access to Innovation Networks
 Some evidence: IRC Lombardia-XC
Engeeniring best TT 2005 award
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Capturing the value of science
 University license contracts are more
complex than the fixed fees and royalties
 Moral hazard, adverse selection and risk
sharing play a role when embryonic
inventions are licensed
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Capturing the value of science
Some evidence (Thursby et alii, 2005):
 University gains more financial resources,
but not the right value
 More attention to up-front fees and
research contracts
 Less attention to milestones, equities and
sub-license options
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Can university patents be a business?
Yes, if University:
• Create a “good” patent portfolio
• Access to an Intellectual-Property Network
• Implement business practice to market
science
• Enhance the visibility of TTO
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Enhancing the visibility:
firms’perspective
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
Source: Politecnico Innovazione, 2005
Some conclusions…
• An effective TT needs a strategy
• Patenting is just only one of the potential
mechanisms to transfer science
• Exploit and institutionalize the social
network of academic inventors
• More attention to sharing rather than
patenting scientific discoveries
• Deploy business practices
• …but good TTs need good science!
Parma, 25 novembre 2006
III Convegno Annuale della Società Italiana di Marketing
"IL MARKETING DELLE MEDIE IMPRESE LEADER DI MERCATO"
Parma, 24 e 25 novembre 2006
Thank you for your attention.
Now and then @
[email protected]
Parma, 25 novembre 2006