CAMPBELL, Alison F

Abstract: Technology transfer has an important role to play in the today’s world, where access to know-how and knowledge are valuable economic commodities. A technology transfer office (TTO) can be set up in many different ways. The TTO should be tightly aligned with its supporting institution’s missions and goals. Available external resources will affect the TTO’s strategy and its operational structures, so it is important to consider the TTO’s external environment. Income generation is typically one of the main objectives for the TTO, but technology transfer is valuable also because of its capacity to facilitate innovation and broker the exchange of knowledge for society’s benefit. This chapter discusses the key elements involved in building a TTO—from structure and staffing to external engagement—and how to lay the foundations for success. A number of European models and trends are described to provide greater context.

1. Introduction

There is no “right” way to set up a technology transfer office (TTO), but success does require considering some key issues. This chapter discusses how to establish and run a TTO, and, drawing on experiences from a number of such offices, the chapter provides case studies to illuminate these issues. Emerging trends in funding TTOs are also discussed.

2. Foundations

Any technology transfer office should be aligned with and supported by the institution it serves. The TTO’s mission should be consistent with the institutional mission, and the TTO’s approach and activities should support and add value to the institution. The TTO and the institution should agree upon what adds value, because financial returns alone are an insufficient measure of value for universities viewing their commercial activities strategically and contextually. Long-term returns, such as sustained partnerships, cultural change, job creation, and societal well-being should be part of the value provided by TTOs. These long-term returns supplement shorter-term, more tangible returns such as income, access to resources and expertise, and program delivery. This point has been emphasized by the U.S. technology transfer association, the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and the U.K. association for technology transfer (UNICO¹), which have disseminated data and case studies of how technology and knowledge transfer can benefit society.²

Deciding whether the TTO should undertake pure commercialization or broader knowledge transfer is important for developing an operational strategy. In a knowledge-based economy, access to know-how and use of knowledge (outside of the environment in which the knowledge was gained) is a valuable commodity.³ The U.K. Research Councils define such knowledge transfer as: