Generating spin-offs from university-based research: An institutional and entrepreneurial analysis.

摘要

Over the past two decades, academic research breakthroughs have moved from the lab to the marketplace as universities have increased efforts to license their intellectual property to private sector firms. Despite a high concentration of brainpower and federally-funded research, some institutions have been unable to translate these into substantial locally-based commercial activity while others have demonstrated the entrepreneurial and financial capacity to create start-ups. This research examines why major research universities may generate relatively few high tech spin-offs in their urban and regional economies.; I offer an actor-centered theory that considers the decisions and actions of the university and its entrepreneurs and the role of institutional culture and human agency in creating start-ups. To determine if the motivations and behavior I hypothesize result in local firm and job creation, I use an ethnographic method interviewing significant informants in New York City, a which has a relatively poor record of translating university-based research into economic activity.; Confirming my hypotheses, I find that universities that view the primary objective of technology transfer as a revenue generator for their institutions generate fewer spin-offs than those that incorporate a local economic development component. I also find that academic entrepreneurs with a pre-existing affiliation with the licensing institution are more likely to locate in the area than outsiders utilizing the technology. These entrepreneurs also exhibit a distinct locational calculus based on a range of variables including real estate costs, founders' preference and the geographical proximity of key firm relationships.; This research has important implications for economic development agencies that are interested in leveraging university innovative capacity into commercial activities. To assist universities in generating spin-offs and shaping the locational choices of entrepreneurs, city and state governments must devise programs that address critical issues including the provision of public sites and facilitating venture capital networks. In addition, a number of structural and administrative changes may be required to minimize the damage from politically-motivated deals and raise the bar of accountability.