Title: A European clustering study with Knowledge Transfer Office DNA

Authors: Laura Kreiling; John Scanlan

Addresses: RITM Laboratory, Université Paris-Saclay, 92330 Sceaux, France ' Deceased; formerly of: Maynooth University, Ireland

Abstract: This research presents a novel approach to cluster knowledge transfer organisations (KTOs) using reported metrics which capture their fundamental characteristics. Currently, organisational comparisons are conducted in some national contexts. However, European KTOs cannot easily find their international peers, due to the lack of suitable approaches. To address this, a conceptual framework - 'KTO DNA' - with 11 quantitative variables is developed and tested. It enables determining KTO similarity based on key drivers of KT activity: budget for KT, structural characteristics, internal KT culture and external KT ecosystem. This framework is used in a cluster study with datasets from a transnational European KTO database. Initial analysis resulted in five groups, a within-clustering of the largest group in seven international KTO peer groups. Variables related to the internal KT culture primarily drove cluster creation, followed by external KT ecosystem and KT budget. KT structural characteristics proved useful in some clusters for further analysis.

Keywords: Knowledge Transfer Office; university-industry collaboration; cluster analysis; knowledge transfer activity metrics; peer groups; conceptual framework development; innovation intermediary organisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIPM.2020.111368

International Journal of Intellectual Property Management, 2020 Vol.10 No.3, pp.292 - 319

Received: 03 Jul 2019
Accepted: 06 Feb 2020
Published online: 23 Nov 2020 *

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