Creating a university technology commercialisation programme: confronting conflicts between learning, discovery and commercialisation goals

Abstract

Our knowledge-based society is pressing universities to transform from monastic scholarly enclaves into producers of new technologies and incubators of start-up firms. However, converting scientists' curiosity-driven discoveries into commercially viable innovations has proven so difficult that observers liken the journey to crossing a 'Valley of Death'. We conceptualise the challenges of commercialising university inventions in terms of three gaps: the technology discovery gap, the commercialisation gap, and the venture launch gap. We chronicle the inception and evolution of a technology commercialisation programme at the University of Oregon, relating how the university confronted and dealt with the three gaps, and describing the intra-organisational partnerships developed to address them. We find that negotiating the gaps requires assimilation of a technology commercialisation mission into the traditional academic missions of education and scientific discovery. To do this, universities must confront fundamental contradictions between learning, discovery, and commercialisation.

Venture creation programs: bridging entrepreneurship education and technology transfer

“…Lack of available/applicable financing is often termed a "market failure", signaling need for government-funded institutional support (Branscomb and Auerswald, 2003, p. 11). Meyer et al (2011) propose that the "valley of death" represents three separate gaps: technology discovery, commercialization, and venture launch. They argue that each gap could potentially be addressed through the experiential learning and process-based design we associate to VCPs.…”

“…Entrepreneurship education utilizing venture creation can be seen to integrate university commercialization activities when collaborating with technology transfer partners (Barr et al, 2009;Meyer et al, 2011;Rasmussen and Sørheim, 2006;Thursby et al, 2009). Collaboration facilitates entrepreneurial competency development through interaction with key stakeholders (Williams Middleton, 2010Middleton, , 2013.…”

“…A multi-discipline recruitment base increases diversity in the venture creation-based technology transfer processes at universities where VCPs collaborate with their TTOs, incubators, etc. According to Meyer et al (2011), diversity is necessary for effectively determining the commercial potential of university research, and interdisciplinary teams are said to often do a better job than professional business development consultants, in uncovering unforeseen or promising applications for the technologies assessed.…”

“…Students learn from real-life failure in a designed environment, resulting in potential treatment effects from entrepreneurship education. In such an environment, failure experienced in a venture can be a positive learning outcome for the student and provide insight in terms of invention assessment (Meyer et al, 2011).…”

A University–Industry Collaborative Entrepreneurship Education Program as a Trading Zone: The Case of Osaka University

“…In contrast, the goal of entrepreneurship education is to develop skills and attributes that enable the realization of opportunity (Rasmussen & Sørheim, 2006). Thus, to undertake a new and expanding role in innovation, universities have started their own entrepreneurship education programs (Barr et al, 2009;Janssen et al, 2007;Meyer et al, 2011).…”