Contingency factors on university spin-off formation: an empirical study in Germany
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-02-2012-0013 |
| Pages | 160-176 |
| Date | 14 April 2014 |
| Published date | 14 April 2014 |
| Author | Arndt Lautenschläger,Heiko Haase,Jan Kratzer |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,Entrepreneurship,Business climate/policy |
Contingency factors on university
spin-off formation: an empirical
study in Germany
Arndt Lautenschla
¨ger and Heiko Haase
Department of Business Administration,
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
University of Applied Sciences Jena, Jena, Germany, and
Jan Kratzer
School of Economics and Management, Center for Entrepreneurship,
Berlin University of Technology, Berlin, Germany
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate contingency factors on the emergence of
university spin-off firms. The institutional and organisational factors the paper explores comprise
the transfer potential of the university, the strategy and characteristics of the University Technology
Transfer Organisations and specific suppo rt for spin-off formation.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on a unique data set, this cross-sectional study analyses
the population of 54 higher education institutions in Germany. At this, 31.4 per cent of the German
universities with technology transfer activities participated in this study.
Findings – The research identifies a high degree of heterogeneity in the qualification of University
Technology TransferOffices (UTTO) staffand the existence of an entrepreneurshipsupport programme
as important antecedentsof spin-off formation. In addition,the results reveal that pursuing different or
multiple transfer strategies will not be detrimental to the establishment of spin-offs.
Practical implications – It seems that there is still a lack of consensus with respect to the
importance of spin-offs as an effective channel to transform research results into economic value.
Furthermore, universities aiming at the promotion of spin-offs need appropriate regulations which do
not jeopardise the usage of research outcomes for entrepreneurial purposes.
Originality/value – This study contributes to enhance the knowledge on what promotes and inhibits
the formation of university spin-off firms, as it first analyses a considerable population of UTTOs in
Germany and explicitly considers underexplored and new contingency factors.
Keywords Germany,U niversities, Academic entrepreneurship, Spin-off firms, Technologytransfer offices
Paper type Research p aper
1. Introduction
New business ventures founded to exploit academic research have become an
important economic phenomenon (Markman et al., 2005b). In fact, spin-off firms are
increasingly seen as a source of regional economic development. How uni versities
can contribute to economic progress and structural change, especially in their
immediate proximity, is illustrated by the examples of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and other universities (Bramwell and Wolfe, 2008; Chrisman et al., 1995;
Hsu et al., 2007). In general, foste ring spin-off formation is today at the co re of many
national and local economic policies (Rasmussen, 2008; Shane, 2004). Conseque ntly,
research is needed to better understand how universities can facilitate an d enhance the
creation of spin-off firms (Markman et al. , 2008).
As for definitions, Pirnay et al. (2003) describes academic spin-offs as new firms
created to exploit knowledge , technology or research results developed within a
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/2045-2101.htm
Received 28 February 2012
Revised 14 January 2013
Accepted 17 January 2013
Journal of Entrepreneurship and
Public Policy
Vol. 3 No. 1, 2014
pp. 160-176
rEmeraldGroup PublishingLimited
2045-2101
DOI 10.1108/JEPP-02-2012-0013
160
JEPP
3,1
university, in which the founders have their origins in the higher education institution.
Similarly, Rasmussen and Borch (2010) as well as Rasmussen (2011) speak of a
new venture initiated in a university setting, based on technology developed in the
academia. Due to their catalysing role in knowledge creation and transfer, spin-offs
from universities are one of the most promising channels to transfer research results
from academia to industry (Ndonzuau et al., 2002; Pe
´rez Pe
´rez and Martı
´nez S
anchez,
2003). They contribute to a fast and direct implementation of new knowledge into
economic value, and, in doing so, they account for the emergence of innovative
products and services. Accordingly, the spin-off formation rate is often seen as a key
indicator for the quality and performance of technolog y transfer and of related
organisations (Arundel and Bordoy, 2008; OECD, 2002; Rogers et al., 2000).
Aside of being a means of technology transfer and commercialisation, spin-offs
are valuable in several aspects: They tend to be located geographically close to the
institutions that spawn them, making them valuable entities for regional econo mic
development (Shane, 2004; Zucker et al., 1998). In this regard, spin-offs are capable of
enhancing the relationship to the local business community, contribute to economic
restructuring and generate employment in innovative branches (Ch arles, 2003; Pe
´rez
Pe
´rez and Martı
´nez S
anchez, 2003). Academic biotechnological breakthroughs and
discoveries, for example, are generally transferred into com mercial applications by
means of university spin-offs (Zucker et al., 2002).
Factors related to the parent organisation that influence university spin-off
formation have been the subject of several studies (e.g. Caldera and Debande, 2010;
Debackere and Veugelers, 2005; Di Gregorio and Shane, 2003; Lach and Schankerman,
2008; Lockett and Wright, 2005; O’Shea et al., 2005; Powers and McDougall, 2005).
In the value creation chain from university to industr y, university technology transfer
offices (UTTOs) are fundamental (Siegel et al., 2004). As technology intermediaries,
UTTOs adopt various configurations and enact different transfer strategies, equally
important when determining the level of spin-off activities. However, only a few studies
have examined UTTOs in particular (e.g. Caldera and Debande, 2010; Debackere
and Veugelers, 2005; Di Gregorio and Shane, 2003; Markman et al., 2005b; Moray and
Clarysse, 2005). Nevertheless, the conjunction of both institutional and o rganisational
factors has not yet been sufficiently explored, and some potential antecedents for
university spin-off formation still lack scientific scrutiny.
Considering this situation, the objective of this paper is to fill this research caveat.
In our analysis of contingency factors, we particularly consider the university’s transfer
potential, the UTTO’s strategies and characteristics as well as specific measures
to support spin-offs. Hence, our research question is as follows: which institutional
and organisational factors influence the number of spin-offs emanating from a
university? To answer this question, we identified and applied a unique sample of
UTTOs in Germany.
Up to now, quantitative studies involving a number of universities are mainly
focused on the USA (e.g. Di Gregorio and Shane, 2003; Lach and Schankerman, 2008;
Markman et al., 2005b; O’Shea et al., 2005; Powers and McDougall, 2005). Nevertheless,
there is a growing interest concerning this subject in Europe over the last years (e.g.
Caldera and Debande, 2010; Lockett and Wright, 2005; Van Looy et al., 2011).
According to our current state of knowledge, there has yet been no study that
scrutinises UTTOs and the related framework at German universities in the light of
their influence on sp in-off formation. Taken as a whole , this study contribut es to
enhance our knowledge on what promotes and inhibits the for mation of university
161
University
spin-off
formation
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