Abstract

Academic technology transfer is an increasingly visible function that has gained in importance due to proven, positive impact on the economies of cities, states, and nations. While there has been robust study of overall economic impact, there is a dearth of research on the impact that institutional resource allocation – the distribution of resources within technology transfer offices – has on technology transfer outcomes, and in particular, licensing outcomes. Preliminary research was conducted using data from the 2012-2018 AUTM Licensing Activities Survey. The analysis focused on workload and the impact of staff and legal expenses on the numbers of licenses signed. Statistical analysis shows that the size of the research enterprise, total staff, licensing staff, and non-licensing staff all had a positive association with the numbers of licenses signed. Legal fees associated with intellectual property protection, on the other hand, had a negative association with the number of licenses signed.