`Repeat Commercializers´ in University-Industry Technology Transfer: A Minority oof Faculty Inventors Account for a Majority of Commercialized Inventions

Are academic faculty equally likely to commercialize new technologies arising from their research or are there a class of ´repeat commercializers´ who account for a disproportionate share of commercialized technologies arising from university research? In a survey of 172 engineering, mathematics, and science faculty members from a major Canadian university, we found evidence that a class of repeat commercializers does exist. Further, we found that the 12% of the faculty who are repeat commercializers account for 80% of the commercialized innovations. An in-depth interview study with six repeat commercializers in the same disciplines at the same institution suggests that these repeat commercializers hold commercialization-friendly attitudes, are high-achievers in a research context, and engage in boundary-spanning activities. This finding implies that repeat commercializers exist because a subset of the faculty have greater access to a stock of commercializable inventions and are better able to identify and acquire resources for the commercialization of their inventions. Since repeat commercializers account for such a large percentage of commercialization activity, it is important that programs and policies associated with technology transfer address the needs of this subpopulation of the faculty.