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Abstract
This basic qualitative study explored faculty perceptions of the role, effectiveness, and success of their institutional Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). The rapid growth and development of technology and knowledge-based economies have emphasized the increasingly vital link between research universities and industry, and American universities are under pressure to promote technology transfer (tech transfer).This study specifically examined the perceptions of U.S. faculty selected based on specific institutional, academic, and demographic characteristics, and engaged in high-level scientific research endeavors. The overarching research question guiding this study is: How do faculty who are engaged in high-level scientific research endeavors articulate their perceptions of their institutional TTO? Specific subquestions that also help guide this study include: How do faculty define the role of their institutional TTO? and How do faculty describe the overall effectiveness of their TTO and evaluate TTO success?
The literature review noted several studies had evaluated the performance of TTOs; however, these studies are predominantly grounded in quantitative analysis, focused on measurable outcomes of tech transfer, and mainly related to monetary values. This dissertation sought to explain how TTOs can be better structured to facilitate faculty engagement and success, and to address a gap in the literature. The subtleties and nuances of faculty perceptions captured through a qualitative assessment is this study’s contribution to the literature on tech transfer.
A combination of theories was used to provide a grounding for scientific research, academic careers, institutional theory, and organizational effectiveness theory. Faculty participants in this study were deemed a constituency of TTO stakeholders, and thus, the overall effectiveness of TTOs was correlated to faculty satisfaction with the state of affairs. To this end, the TTO capability continuum was devised to abridge the predominant data collected and to surmise faculty desires of a TTO.
INDEX WORDS: Technology transfer, Patents, Licensing, Scientific research, Academic careers, Intellectual property, Commercialization, Invention, Bayh-Dole Act, AUTM, Innovation, Boundary spanning, Institutional theory, and Organizational effectiveness theory