Academic Patents Assigned to University-Technology-Based Companies in China: Commercialisation Selection Strategies and Their Influencing Factors

Liu Hairui (), Zhang Junhan (), Gong Lei () and Chang Xuhua ()
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Liu Hairui: Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property, Tongji University, No. 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, P.R. China
Zhang Junhan: Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property, Tongji University, No. 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, P.R. China
Gong Lei: School of Management Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, No. 1000 Fengming Road, Jinan, 250101, P.R. China
Chang Xuhua: Shanghai International College of Intellectual Property, Tongji University, No. 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, P.R. China

Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, 2025, vol. 19, issue 1, 25

Abstract: University-technology-based companies (UTBCs) have become an important mechanism for commercialising academic patents. Existing research on the university technology transfer process and crucial influencing factors has not sufficiently considered UTBCs’ resource heterogeneity and the complex assignment scenarios. To fill the gap, this study investigated academic patent assignment strategic decisions regarding its type and phase, by generating a unique research dataset comprising 37,647 patent applications invented by 946 experienced faculty inventors at five Chinese universities. Based on the resource-based view, this study classified 1,151 UTBCs into three types according to their received portfolio of technological, human, and financial resources. Multinomial logit regression was then used to analyse the influencing factors of assignment types. Furthermore, this study recognised the assignments into two phases according to the disclosure of patents, and then employed the binary logit regression to analyse the influencing factors. The results showed that around 12.11% of academic patent applications were successfully assigned to UTBCs, and 52.62% were assigned to faculty-involved UTBCs at the pre-application phase. The findings revealed that patent value, faculty research competencies and energy limitations, and social resources significantly impact patent commercialisation selection strategies. Finally, this study proposes practical implications for university administrators and policymakers.

Keywords: university-technology-based companies; commercialisation selection strategies; patent assignment types; patent assignment phases (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 M13 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bpj:econoa:v:19:y:2025:i:1:p:25:n:1003

DOI: 10.1515/econ-2025-0171

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