The Technology Transfer Office as Facilitator Between Researchers and Investors: A German Perspective

Alexandros E. Papaderos and Oliver Bücken ()
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Alexandros E. Papaderos: Tach2yone GmbH
Oliver Bücken: UnternehmerTUM Academy for Innovators

A chapter in Intellectual Property Management for Start-ups, 2023, pp 303-319 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Higher education institutions face the challenge to fulfill their role in the so-called “third mission,” next to research and teaching. One major part of this third mission is technology transfer (TT) and, consequently, the creation of technology-oriented and knowledge-based spin-offs. Universities and non-university research institutions can succeed in this particular mission by providing a supporting culture and suitable policies, which allow spin-offs to become important drivers of innovation. The journey from research results to the development of products and services to market maturity needs intensive research and thus time and money. An efficient intellectual property (IP) management by the university’s technology transfer office (TTO) plays an indisputably crucial role. Founders must be aware of the rights of third parties. Bringing patents into a company should be the normal case. In reality, the contribution of patents plays a huge role when it comes to the distribution of shares. Attracting venture capital (VC) and fresh money for scaling goes along with the necessity of freedom to operate. Having shareholders in the company who hold patents privately prevents growth capital to fuel the company. In this chapter, we present the views of a university TTO, a university researcher/founder, and an investor/practitioner on the importance of IP for university spin-offs.

Keywords: University technology transfer; Knowledge-based spin-offs; IP management; Entrepreneurship; Valuation; Venture capital; Founder; Distribution of shares; Liquidation preference; Vesting; (Non-monetary) assets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-16993-9_16

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