Patent management by universities: evidence from Italian academic inventions

Abstract Over the past 20 years, European universities have increased their propensity to retain title of their faculty’s inventions, but evidence on the value of such patents is at best mixed. Based on a longitudinal sample of Italian academic patents (patents over faculty’s inventions), assigned e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial and corporate change 2019-04, Vol.28 (2), p.309-330
Main Authors: Sterzi, Valerio, Pezzoni, Michele, Lissoni, Francesco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Quantitative Finance
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Summary:Abstract Over the past 20 years, European universities have increased their propensity to retain title of their faculty’s inventions, but evidence on the value of such patents is at best mixed. Based on a longitudinal sample of Italian academic patents (patents over faculty’s inventions), assigned either to universities or firms, we find that the lower value of university-owned patents, versus firm-owned ones, is owing to lower Technological Importance of the inventions and less effective Exploitation of the related patents. Lack of experience in managing patented inventions explains our results for Technological Importance, but not for Exploitation. Both are unrelated to the presence of a technology transfer office. Our study suggests caution in pushing universities to expand their patent portfolios and in using university-owned patents as indicators of technology-transfer activities.
ISSN:0960-6491
1464-3650
DOI:10.1093/icc/dty070