Exploring the relationship between scientist human capital and firm performance: The case of biomedical academic entrepreneurs in the SBIR program

Dirk Czarnitzki and Andrew A. Toole

No 07-011, ZEW Discussion Papers from ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research

Abstract: Do academic scientists bring valuable human capital to the companies they found or join? If so, what are the particular skills that compose their human capital and how are these skills related to firm performance? This paper examines these questions using a particular group of academic entrepreneurs – biomedical research scientists who choose to commercialize their knowledge through the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research Program. Our conceptual framework assumes the nature of an academic entrepreneurs? prior research reflects the development of their human capital. We highlight differences in firm performance that correlate with differences in the scientists? research orientations developed during their academic careers. We find that biomedical academic entrepreneurs with human capital oriented toward exploring scientific opportunities significantly improve their firms? performance of research tasks such as ?proof of concept? studies. Biomedical academic entrepreneurs with human capital oriented toward exploring commercial opportunities significantly improve their firms? performance of invention oriented tasks such as patenting. Consistent with prior evidence, there also appears to be a form of diminishing returns to scientifically oriented human capital in a commercialization environment. Holding the commercial orientation of the scientists? human capital constant, we find that increasing their human capital for identifying and exploring scientific opportunities significantly detracts from their firms? patenting performance.

Keywords: Academic Entrepreneurship; SBIR Program; Human Capital; Biotechnology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D21 J24 L65 O32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-edu, nep-ent, nep-hrm, nep-ino and nep-knm
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Exploring the Relationship Between Scientist Human Capital and Firm Performance: The Case of Biomedical Academic Entrepreneurs in the SBIR Program (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:zewdip:5498

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