Title: Developing intellectual property management skills and the entrepreneurial university element: an educator perspective

Authors: Robert James Crammond

Addresses: University of the West of Scotland, Scotland, UK

Abstract: The successful journeys of university students can be witnessed through qualifications, industry-relevant skills, and networking opportunities. A core element of this, now prevalent within universities, is the development of entrepreneurial attributes towards new ventures or start-ups. Universities wish to centralise the entrepreneurial process, through problem solving, creativity, and start-up activities. This results in the building of intellectual capital (IC) amongst students and staff, acknowledging intellectual property (IP) and intellectual property management (IPM), presenting added value. However, there is a lack of empirical investigation assessing the development of IPM-relevant skills within undergraduate courses. This paper explores a pathway of courses within a Scottish university, including leadership, acceleration, enterprise, and management topics with cohorts totalling over 350 students. Viewed through the educator perspective, multi-staged coded analysis realises the necessary points of IPM intervention, to orientate skills acquisition for IC. Subsequently, a model of factors and anticipated outcomes appreciates university-based exposure to IPM.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; higher education; innovation; intellectual property management; IPM; intellectual capital; university.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIPM.2024.139664

International Journal of Intellectual Property Management, 2024 Vol.14 No.4, pp.389 - 409

Received: 02 Jan 2023
Accepted: 11 May 2023
Published online: 05 Jul 2024 *

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