Be an Impactful, Proactive Technology Transfer Office in a Globalized and Digitalized World: A Lived Experience

Abstract

In our globalized and digitalized post-COVID world, knowledge and technology transfer offices and commercialization companies (collectively hereafter TTOs) strive to increase and diversify their research impact portfolio. To achieve this target, TTOs should clearly redefine “research impact” and communicate it effectively, engage strategically based on an intersubjective understanding and mutual benefits with their stakeholders to be able to identify the market's unmet needs, and proactively foster an innovation pipeline aligned with their socioeconomical innovation ecosystem. Drawing on the author's lived experience, this article explains the key characteristics of an impactful TTO and suggests approaches to improve its performance. In addition, this article discusses the role of such a TTO in an ever-evolving research commercialization ecosystem. Also, it proposes a practical model for a TTO to maximize its opportunity to create impact.