Title:Overview and Analysis of Input, Throughput, and Output Factors Affecting Technology Transfer Impact
VOLUME: 1 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):Sarah Belford, Todd Headley and Denichiro Otsuga
Affiliation:CSU Ventures, Inc., PO Box 483, Fort Collins, CO 80522, USA.
Keywords:Benchmarking, knowledge transfer, metrics, policy, research, technology transfer, university.
Abstract:With the changing economic landscape of the 21st century, the role of universities as contributors to the
knowledge economy is a topic of increasing national importance. In particular, a relatively new mode of university
knowledge transfer – a process commonly known as technology transfer – has increasingly gained attention among the
public, policy-makers, and university administrators in recent years. Unlike more mature modes of university knowledge
transfer, such as instruction or publication, understanding of the technology transfer process and the appropriate metrics
by which to measure technology transfer success are relatively nascent. Current standard and widely-used metrics
intended to measure the effectiveness of the technology transfer process often fail to consider many important factors,
especially discrepancies in input variables. Lack of critical evaluation may lead to inaccurate conclusions regarding
process effectiveness and may even result in the implementation of policies detrimental to universities’ ability to
contribute to the knowledge economy. This manuscript identifies a few key factors that play a role in determining the
effectiveness of the technology transfer process at a given university and examines a case study involving Colorado State
University, where changing some key input factors positively impacted technology transfer outcomes.
