The 6P marketing-model that supports the university technology transfer

Abstract

AIMS OF THE PAPER

In our knowledge-driven economy, research universities are core actors in the innovation process. As a response to this challenge, technology transfer offices (TTOs) and agencies have been established in universities in order to coordinate and stimulate the commercialization of the inventions and technologies. We can find several marketing practices that are utilized by these technology transfer offices, however, there is still a lack of marketing theoretical framework in the literature about early stage technology transfer. Our aim is to detail the marketing peculiarities of the early stage technology transfer and highlight the marketing challenges as well as the practices that can be utilized for a more successful technology transfer process.

METHODOLOGY

As the theoretical framework of our research we have chosen science-to-business (S2B) marketing. We previously set a 6P marketing mix model that corresponds to the specificities of early stage technology transfer carried out by the universities. In this paper we conducted a quantitative research among 83 university TTO stakeholders in orderto identify the main challenges they have to face during the university early stage technology transfer.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS

Portfolio management, pricing and potential evaluation are the most glaring marketing challenges that the TTOs have to face. TTOs barely know their own marketable technologies and the known ones are offered for a relati vely low price. The social embeddedness of the universities as well as the business image are also of concerns.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Commercialization requires professional market research and creating marketing policies corresponding to demands, which are traditionally not included in the scope of university tasks, but are essential for a successful technology transfer process. It raises the need for marketing professionals that should not only deal with the commercialization per se but with PR and internal marketing activities as well.