Title: Are USOs more supported to compete than spin-offs not linked to universities? A dynamic overview and proposal of model of USOs support

Authors: Nuria Calvo; David Rodeiro; Isabel Soares

Addresses: Economic Analysis and Business Administration Department, Faculty of Economics, University of A Coruña, Campus de Elviña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain ' Finance and Accounting Department, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Santiago de Compostela, Avda. Xoan XXIII, s/n, 15782 – Santiago, Spain ' Faculty of Economics, CEP, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-464, Porto, Portugal

Abstract: This paper investigates differential factors of survival of USOs compared to those spin-offs not linked to education institutions. Issues related to the entrepreneur-specific human capital, and also related to environmental conditions are identified as the main factors. An academic model for USOs support is presented, considering the role of USOs' founders, academic institutions and government. This work contributes to the study of determinants in the innovation transfer system and the promotion of university spin-offs, and opens up this line of research to future developments that relate the correlation between the assessment indicators of academic support and the USOs' success.

Keywords: university spin-offs; USO survival; innovation transfer systems; dynamic modelling; entrepreneur-specific human capital; entrepreneurship; environmental conditions; technology transfer; Spain; organisational ecology; intellectual capital; university governance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2013.056229

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2013 Vol.14 No.3/4, pp.271 - 288

Published online: 30 Sep 2013 *

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