Technology evaluation and licensing in Portuguese Universities

Abstract

Universities have adopted knowledge valorisation strategies to foster the practical application of research results. Technology transfer offices have been implemented in almost all European universities to evaluate, protect and support the transfer of university’s research outcomes. To this end, technology evaluation and licensing activities have been widely adopted and implemented by technology transfer units, allowing universities and inventors to obtain revenues through the establishment of technology transfer agreements. In order to understand this process, and improve our knowledge on specific practices that support technology transfer activities, we looked at strategies and methods used by seven technology transfer units in Portuguese Universities, and one non-university research institution. The sample was defined according to an intentional non-probabilistic sampling technique, utilizing two main criteria: the dimension and the regional influence of the higher education institution. One of the institutions is an R&D organization that is not part of the higher education system, and the rationale for its inclusion was the purpose of obtaining complementary and comparative information. The main research questions were: what is the degree of selectivity of the TTOs in the protection of inventions? What evaluation methods are used? What are the factors that are behind the licensing agreements? Scoring sheets and semi-structured personnel interviews were used to collect information. The results obtained are analysed, in an exploratory manner, under the light of conceptual ideas advanced by the literature. The behaviour of technology transfer offices that are part of universities is compared with the technology transfer behaviour of the R&D institution that is not part of the higher education system. The specific context of Portuguese reality is considered.