Strategic Evaluation of University Knowledge and Technology Transfer Effectiveness

Abstract

Academic knowledge and technology transfer has been growing in importance both in academic research and practice. A critical question in managing this activity is how to evaluate its effectiveness. The literature shows an increasing number of studies done to address this question; however, it also reveals important gaps that need more research.One novel approach is to evaluate the effectiveness of this activity from an organizational point of view, which is to measure how much knowledge and technology transfer from a university fulfills the mission of the institution. This research develops a Hierarchical The Index helps an academic institution assess the current performance of its knowledge and technology transfer with respect to its mission. This robust model also helps decision makers discover areas where the university is performing well, or needs to pay more attention. In addition, the university can benchmark its own performance against its peers in order to set up a roadmap for improvement. It is proved that this is the first index in the literature which truly evaluates the effectiveness of university knowledge and technology transfer from an organizational perspective. Practitioners in the area of academic technology transfer can also apply this evaluation model to quantitatively evaluate the performance of their institutions for strategic decision making purposes.ii Dedication I would like to dedicate this work to my mother, one of the greatest mothers in this world.To my beloved wife, Huong Nguyen, and our wonderful children, who supported me during my study with love and patience.iii Acknowledgements

A new set of performance indicators for improving the capitalization process of Intellectual Property

“…In this context, it is necessary that each university develops its own strategic plans that include clear objectives connected with the capitalization of intellectual property (Tran, 2013).…”

A Measurement System for Science and Engineering Research Center Performance Evaluation

“…As a result of this Act, universities were able to retain ownership of inventions developed with government funding and license these technologies. Evidence of this impact was the expansion of many university missions for inclusion of entrepreneurial and commercialization activities [49].…”

“…Figure 8 shows how the MOGSA framework was adapted to create a generalizable four (4) level model for this performance evaluation problem. Tran [49] included desirability curves to evaluate the effectiveness of university-based technology transfer offices establishing precedence in the literature for this method. Because more is not always better and scales are not absolute, curves reflecting desired output quantity and/or quality are developed.…”

“…Seventeen of twenty-four decision elements were validated by experts and linked together to construct a four-level decision model. The tolerance level of 80% for accepting elements into the model was used based upon precedence in a similar research study [49]. While other levels for acceptance have been documented in the literature such as 2/3rds agreement [95][97], the more stringent level was warranted and helped elicit expert data for improved clarification of the metrics.…”

Evaluating Project Assessment Techniques for High-Profile Transportation Projects Development and Delivery: Case of State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in the United States

“…• Technical credibility and independence [249] • Skills working in committees and advisory panels [191] • Absence of bias [241]…”