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Relationship Dynamics between University Research Centers and Industrial Firms: Their Impact on Technology Transfer Activities

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Abstract

In this study we focus on relationship-oriented factors such as trust, geographic proximity, communication, and university policies for intellectual property rights (IPR), patents and licenses and examine how these factors influence the technology transfer process between university research centers and their industrial partners. Data for this study were collected from 189 industrial firms working with 21 research centers affiliated with prominent research-oriented universities in the US. Our results showed that trust, geographic proximity, and flexible university policies for IPR, patents, and licenses were strongly associated with greater technology transfer activities. The implications for both researchers and practitioners are discussed.

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Santoro, M.D., Gopalakrishnan, S. Relationship Dynamics between University Research Centers and Industrial Firms: Their Impact on Technology Transfer Activities. The Journal of Technology Transfer 26, 163–171 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007804816426

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