Doctoral thesis of Philosophy: Enhancing Australian universities’ research commercialisation Alan Collier

Enhancing Australian Universities’ Research Commercialisation Performance

Author: Alan Collier
Field: Business Portfolio
Document Content:

This thesis investigates how to enhance the overall performance of Australian universities in research commercialisation and the uptake of its outcomes by industry. It explores systemic barriers to research commercialisation within Australian universities, strategies for overcoming these barriers, and methods for improving industry uptake of university research. The study employs qualitative content analysis and multiple-case analysis, comparing Australian universities with benchmark institutions in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. Key findings suggest that institutional support, effective Technology Transfer Office (TTO) management, and world-class research are crucial for success. Personal relationships are identified as particularly important for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) engaging with universities. The research also highlights the need for tailored approaches to Technology Transfer and Commercialisation (TT&C) based on individual university characteristics and the evolving landscape of innovation.

Detailed Table of Contents:

• Declaration by Candidate
• Acknowledgements
• Table of Contents
• Summary
• List of Abbreviations
• List of Tables and Figures
• List of Interviews
• Part I – Introduction
  • Introduction
    • Background
    • The Need for and Purpose of this Research
    • Classifying Research Commercialisation
      • Introduction
      • Field of Research
      • Mode of Dissemination
    • Structure of this Thesis
• Part II – Literature Review
  • History and Development
  • The Importance of Innovation
    • Introduction
    • Technology Innovation
    • The Actors in National Innovation
    • The Role of Universities in National Innovation
  • Australia’s University Research Commercialisation Environment
    • Explaining the Environment
    • Mechanisms and Facilitators
    • Institutional Enablers
    • Boundary-spanning Structures and Systems
  • Australia’s Universities
  • Australian Universities’ Research
  • Australian Universities’ Research Commercialisation
    • Commercialisation Model
    • Fields of Commercialisation
    • Metrics
    • University-Industry Interaction
    • Intellectual Property
    • Incentives to Participate in Commercialisation
    • Fiscal Regime
    • Capital Availability
    • Clusters
    • Technology Parks and Incubators
    • Smaller and Regional Universities
    • Effectiveness of Present Strategies
    • Co-operative Research Centres
  • Australian Universities’ Research Commercialisation Offices
  • Barriers to Research Commercialisation
    • Approach
    • Collecting the Data
    • Analysing the Data
    • The Barriers to Research Commercialisation
  • Developing the Propositions
• Part III – Methodology
  • Methodology
    • Introduction
    • Research Design
    • Case Study Method
    • Qualitative Content Analysis
    • Narrative Review
    • Triangulation
    • Data Collection and Analysis
      • Research Question 1 – Identifying the Systemic Barriers
      • Research Questions 2 and 3 – Overcoming the Barriers – Universities
      • Research Question 4 – Overcoming the Barriers – Industry
    • Credibility of the Results
      • Factors to Consider
      • Validity
      • Reliability
    • Ethical Issues
• Part IV – Analysis – University Performance
  • Best Practice Research Commercialisation in Comparable Jurisdictions
    • Common Themes
    • North America
      • General Environment
      • Regulatory Environment
      • Character of the University
      • Commercialisation Structure
      • Commercialisation Process
      • Commercialisation Performance
      • Commercialisation Office Performance
      • Knowledge and Awareness
      • Incentives for Commercialisation
      • Linkages with Industry
      • Technology Parks and Incubators
      • Intellectual Property
      • Early Stage Financing and Venture Capital
      • Entrepreneurship and Culture
      • The Role of Intermediaries
    • United Kingdom
      • Commercialisation Environment
      • Imperial Innovations
      • Oxford to Cambridge Arc
      • Intermediaries
    • New Zealand
      • General Environment
      • Regulatory Environment
      • Character of the University
      • Commercialisation Structure
      • Commercialisation Process
      • Commercialisation Performance
      • Commercialisation Office Performance
      • Knowledge and Awareness
      • Incentives for Commercialisation
      • Linkages with Industry
      • Technology Parks and Incubators
      • Intellectual Property
      • Early Stage Financing and Venture Capital
      • Entrepreneurship and Culture
  • Australian University Case Study Analysis
    • Introduction
    • Selection of the Case Studies
    • Analysis of the Case Studies
      • Commentary
      • Structure of the Research Commercialisation Entity
      • Commercialisation Process
      • Commercialisation Performance
      • Commercialisation Office Performance
      • Knowledge and Awareness
      • Incentives for Commercialisation
      • Linkages with Industry
      • Technology Parks and Incubators
      • Intellectual Property
      • Early Stage Financing and Venture Capital
      • Entrepreneurship and Culture
      • Intermediaries
      • Smaller and Regional Universities
    • Conclusions
• Part V – Analysis – Industry Technology Uptake
  • The Performance of Industry in Absorbing University Output
    • The Research Question
    • Analysis Process
    • Selection of the Case Studies
    • Transferring University Knowledge to Industry
    • What Attributes Measure Knowledge Transfer to Industry?
    • University-Industry Interaction – Case Studies
      • Knowledge by Industry of Relevant Research
      • Cultural Differences
      • Fields of Research
      • Linkages
      • Co-Operative Research Centres
      • Australian Industry Capacity to Absorb University Research
      • Making the Connections
      • Technology Parks and Incubators
      • Intellectual Property
      • University Technical Transfer Offices
      • Availability of Development Capital
      • Government Involvement
      • Clusters and Industry Groupings
      • Intermediaries
      • Regional and Smaller Universities
    • University-Industry Interaction – Narrative Review
      • Knowledge by Industry of Relevant Research
      • Cultural Differences
      • Fields of Research
      • Linkages
      • Co-Operative Research Centres
      • Australian Industry Capacity to Absorb University Research
      • Making the Connections
      • Technology Parks and Incubators
      • Intellectual Property
      • University Technology Transfer Offices
      • Availability of Development Capital
      • Government Involvement
      • Clusters and Industry Groupings
      • Intermediaries
      • Regional and Smaller Universities
    • Conclusion
• Part VI – Conclusions and Recommendations for Further Research
  • Conclusions
    • Summary of Key Findings
      • Factors that Enhance TT&C Performance
      • Other Factors
    • Answers to the Propositions
      • Outline
      • Structure of the TTO
      • Incentives to Engage in TT&C
      • Entrepreneurship and Culture
      • Access to Early-Stage Capital
      • Industry Linkages
      • Intellectual Property
      • Co-operative Research Centres
      • Characteristics of Local Industry
      • Industry Clusters
      • Role of Intermediaries
      • Technology Parks and Incubators
      • Regional and Smaller Universities
      • The Role of Government
    • Factors Affecting an Australian University Commercialisation Model
      • The Australian Environment
      • Universities
      • Technology Transfer Offices
      • Industry
      • Government
      • Regional and Smaller Universities
  • Areas for Further Research
• Appendix 1 – Interviews and Visits
• Appendix 2 – Case Descriptions
• Appendix 3 – Australian Government and Other Publications since 1995
• References