The Spin-Off as an Instrument of Sustainable Development: Incentives for Creating an Academic USO

Francisco-Isidoro Vega-Gomez, F. Javier Miranda, Antonio Chamorro Mera and Jesús Pérez-Mayo
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Francisco-Isidoro Vega-Gomez: Economics Faculty, University of Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain
F. Javier Miranda: Economics Faculty, University of Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain
Antonio Chamorro Mera: Economics Faculty, University of Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: In recent years, universities and public authorities have increasingly focused on creating USOs (university spin-offs) as a method of transferring research results to society and of achieving the sustainable development sought by European institutions. However, the success of these policies depends on the appeal of creating a USO for academics. The aim of this research was to examine the relative importance of certain factors that may boost academic entrepreneurship and, therefore, to guide public policies. To do this, a qualitative study was carried out among 42 researchers from Spanish universities and research centres to understand their motivations for creating a USO. A quantitative study was then carried out, based on Conjoint Analysis and with a sample of 1726 academics, to identify the relative importance of six conditions that influence their predisposition to become entrepreneurs. This technique is seldom used in the field of entrepreneurship and, to the best of our knowledge, has never been used before to analyse academic entrepreneurship. The results of the study show that personal economic benefit is clearly the factor that heightens the intention to create a USO the most. Research benefit, CV benefit, support programmes, teaching reduction and personal cost are of lesser importance. The study also concludes that there are few differences according to the academic’s profile.

Keywords: academic entrepreneurship; conjoint analysis; policy makers; spin-off; technology transfer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:11:p:4266-:d:183740

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