Title: Fostering knowledge and technology transfer through evaluation systems at a regional level

Authors: Paolo Landoni, Roberto Verganti

Addresses: Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Giuseppe Colombo 40, 20133 Milano, Italy. ' Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Giuseppe Colombo 40, 20133 Milano, Italy

Abstract: The research and innovation system is undergoing a rapid and fundamental change alternately described by many authors. In particular, universities and public research centres are required to play a new role in socio-economic development. In this renewing context, regions must re-think and innovate their policies. One of these new policies may be the development and the use of evaluation systems of research and technology transfer activities of universities and public research organisations. This work argues that a central role of such systems is the diffusion of information about the capabilities, performances and activities of regional research and technology transfer centres, in order to favour the development of a local market for research with improved quality of supply and a more informed demand. The peculiar requirements of these instruments are discussed on the basis of the evaluation system developed by the Lombardy region (Italy).

Keywords: evaluation; knowledge transfer; research; innovation; technology transfer; universities; universities and public research centres; regions; socio-economic development; regional development; information diffusion; regional research; Italy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2006.013343

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2006 Vol.5 No.4, pp.355 - 372

Published online: 21 Apr 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article