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Abstract
This research aims to study the factors inhibiting university-industry technology transfer (UITT). Ten factors are defined from the literature. Their relationships with the successful UITT were empirically measured using a linear regression analysis. We surveyed 143 engineers who are members of laboratories and research units within national engineering schools. The results of our survey indicate that 8 of these factors have no significant relationship with the successful UITT. We conclude that, in Tunisia, UITT is inhibited by the universities' bureaucracy and the lack of exclusive rights protection.
Keywords: innovation, technology, technology transfer, university, industry
Introduction
Technological environment is dynamic, uncertain and unpredictable (Hohberger, Almeida & Parada, 2015). Therefore, technology driven industries have to build innovative capabilities based on scientific collaborations. Indeed R&D collaboration efforts enhance the acquisition and the adaptation of new technologies in order to have competitive advantage+. Indeed, new technologies have wide-ranging implications for innovation strategies and economic environment. They afford competitive advantages, opportunities and challenges. Thus, innovation breaks competition's rules and so provides new challenges to excel in the modern business environment.
In fact, a deeper understanding of innovation requires a fuller awareness of its determinants. One of the most important factors enhancing the innovation performance is the technology transfer from university to industry, which is a way to benefit from academic R&D activities. The UITT is a critical mechanism for the dissemination and commercialization of new technology. Nowadays, universities, as a source of external technical knowledge, increasingly, contribute to the innovation process. Therefore, firms should hold a real partnership with universities.
In this research, we will focus on the key variables of the acquisition of technology from universities and academic research institutes. We will try to explain how to bridge the gap between industry and academia by answering our research question: what are the most important factors inhibiting the university-industry technology transfer?
To have a fair answer of our research question, we will study literature dealing with the university-industry technology transfer (its key variables, its motivation and obstacles...).
Literature Review
In order to define innovation which is the principal motivation of UITT, we should distinguish between three terms; innovativeness, invention and innovation.
Innovativeness measures the degree of newness of an innovation and its effects on the environment. It may...