University engagement in open innovation and intellectual property: evidence from university–industry collaborations

Abstract

University–industry collaborations are an important pathway through which academic scientists engage with industry and society, co-create new knowledge, and raise funds to carry out costly research endeavors. Nonetheless, the management of such collaborations is challenging and requires universities to protect their investments in intellectual property and to capture value from them. This paper examines how scientists’ motivations to undertake inventive activities shape the relationship between research partnerships, the ownership of academic patents resulting from such partnerships, and the licensing of university-owned patents. We examine the interactions between these factors using data on 501 research projects conducted by scientists affiliated with universities located in various countries. Our analysis indicates that the inventors’ motivations bear a direct effect on the ownership and commercialization of academic patents. Moreover, these motivations positively moderate the relationship between research partnerships and the management of academic patents. These findings have interesting implications for university administrators striving to enhance the effectiveness of the technology transfer process.