“…This research gap warrants further investigation because theory emphasizes that a firm's ability to identify and assimilate external resources and knowledge may be more important for performance and growth than the firm's initial stock of resources and knowledge (Cohen & Levinthal, 1990;Nason & Wiklund, 2015). Moreover, access to competencies and resources is particularly important for new and small ventures, which typically possess limited internal resources but may be able to compensate for such shortcomings by relying on alliances and linkages with external actors (Arikan & McGahan, 2010;Moghaddam, Bosse, & Provance, 2016;Mohr, Garnsey, & Theyel, 2013). USOs, in particular, face challenges in developing the competencies needed to commercialize novel technologies with uncertain market potential, and the university environment may contribute to these challenges (Rasmussen, Mosey, & Wright, 2014).…”