Influences on the commercial success of academic patents

27 Mai 2013

This paper reports results of a survey among patent inventors from Norwegian public research organisations. The survey covered motives, support structure and further development of the patents. We focus on determinants of success criteria for academic patents like granted patents, extension to other countries, development of prototype or saleable products, start-ups, activities in existing companies, licensing and income. Individual motivation for commercialization and a systematic approach to patenting are central to success along with cross-sector patenting collaboration. Somewhat unexpectedly, organizational support and incentives seem to matter little. We put forth several explanations for these findings.