University Patent Holders as Entrepreneurs: Factors that Influence Spinout Activity
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University Patent Holders as Entrepreneurs: Factors that Influence Spinout Activity Antonio Dottore & Suleiman K. Kassicieh Received: 8 February 2014 / Accepted: 1 October 2014 / Published online: 15 October 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract University patent holders have been encouraged to use their inventions to start technology firms. This has been touted as a major contributor to economic development, value creation, and spillovers. It is theoretically and practically important to understand the antecedents to this activity. In this study, we examine Australian Public Research Organizations (PRO) patent holders and use entrepreneurial attitudes, economic personal situations, as well as the environment in which the patent holders operate to understand the differences between those who chose to follow an entrepreneurial path and those who do not. Using binary logistic regression analysis, we find statistically significant differences between entrepreneur inventors (EIs) and nonentrepreneur inventors (NEIs) across variables that operationalize these frameworks. We also find that attitudes moderate the effect of the personal and macroeconomic situational perceptions, even when the independent effect of the individual variables is not significant. Theory and practice should therefore take a holistic approach in order to unleash the strong synergies across otherwise insignificant factors. Keywords University inventors . Commecialization of technology . Attitudes and situations of entrepreneurs
Introduction The quantity and quality of university entrepreneurial spinouts have been linked to attitudes as well as to macroeconomic factors of the region where the university is located and to microeconomic dynamics of the inventors. On the attitude dimension, Robinson et al. (1991) established the entrepreneurial attitude orientation to distinguish between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs. For the economic situational factors, Kassicieh et al. (1996) used attitudes as defined by Robinson et al. but added a set of A. Dottore Science & Technology Commercialisation program in the Faculty of Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia S. K. Kassicieh (*) Anderson School of Management, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA e-mail: [email protected]
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J Knowl Econ (2014) 5:863–891
situational variables that describe the environment in which the individual operates to discern their entrepreneurial likelihood. Perkmann et al. (2013) highlighted the research streams that explore the engagement between industry and academia and concluded that engagement is more aligned with traditional research than commercialization. Although both contribute to economic activity based on research results, the spin-off activities contribute directly as opposed to the indirect contribution of academic engagement. Shane and Venkataraman (2000) point out that decisions to engage in entrepreneurial activities are driven by profitable opp
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