Intermediaries for open innovation: A competence-based comparison of knowledge transfer offices practices

Dominique Philippe Martin (1) , Alexander T. Allen (2)

1 CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management
2 Centre for Innovation & Service Research

Universities and Public Research Organisation rely on the capabilities and competences of their transfer offices to engage with commercial partners and to manage the exchange of knowledge and expertise. This paper promotes a model that can be used to analyse the capabilities and relative strategies of these transfer offices. Based on a 'core competences' approach the model enables the precise characterisation of the different modes and methods of transfer and engagement. Findings, coming from a two-year, in-depth comparative study of two transfer offices located in France and in the UK, underline the office's relative positioning within their institutional environment and identify the relative priority given to their use of the channels of transfer. These results provide a guide for the strategic management of transfer offices that are now operating within an 'open innovation' paradigm.

Mots clés: Transfer office; knowledge; technology transfer; channels of transfer; core competences

Domaines: Gestion et management

Dominique Philippe Martin, Alexander T. Allen. Intermediaries for open innovation: A competence-based comparison of knowledge transfer offices practices. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2013, 80 (1), pp.38-49. ⟨10.1016/j.techfore.2012.07.013⟩. ⟨halshs-00766710⟩