This paper begins with a brief look at the literature on national innovation systems (NIS). Building on the NIS approach, we present a simple conceptual framework. National innovative competence is dependent on the presence of dynamic STI actors, operating within the confines of compatible...

While policy recognises the need to facilitate university-industry technology transfer (UITT), international studies indicate that the setup and effectiveness of the associated instruments is highly context-specific. We examine the reorientation of Irish universities in the direction of...

Technology transfer offices (TTOs) are of strategic importance to universities committed to the commercialization of academic knowledge. Within the university, TTOs’ relationship with academics and management is single agent-multiple principal. When two principals exist in an agency...

The analysis of university-industry cooperation (UIC) rarely considers the geographic implications of its promotion. We hypothesise that UIC may lead to a cumulative advantage of already good performers. The 6th EU R&D Framework Programme is a useful source to verify this hypothesis because of...

Increasing university--industry interaction (UII) and university contribution to the local economy are compatible--conventional wisdom would say. However, similar to other university activities, interaction with industry may be limited due to a lack of absorptive capacity in local firms. The...