The commercialisation of national laboratory technology through the formation of "spin-off" firms: evidence from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

David C. Mowery, Arvids A. Ziedonis

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2001, vol. 3, issue 1/2, 106-119

Abstract: This paper examines the role of Lawrence Livermore National (LLNL), a major US Department of Energy nuclear weapons research facility, in spawning "spin-off" firms. We provide some of the most comprehensive estimates of the number of spin-off firms associated with LLNL and find that this research facility appears to be at least as important a source of spin-off firms as are three defence-oriented laboratories in New Mexico with a combined budget that is substantially larger than that of LLNL. Our survey of these LLNL "spin-off" firms suggests that fewer than one-quarter of them are directly engaged in the commercialisation of LLNL-developed technologies, a finding that is broadly consistent with the results of other studies. Finally, our interviews with spin-off founders suggest that management and other policy-related impediments to the formation of "spin-off" firms reduce the contribution of these firms to the commercialisation of LLNL-developed technologies.

Keywords: technology transfer; national laboratories; spin-off firms. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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