Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Technology commercialisation'

The impact of uncertainty in the commercialization lifecycle of new technologies is a complex phenomenon. Technologies are research intensive and exposed to uncertainty regarding their successful development and functionality. Further these technologies have to be absorbed by volatile markets in order to be commercialized. These different forms of uncertainty are of primary importance for decision makers but have not been thoroughly studied in previous technology commercialization research and put under one theoretical framework. The main focus of this thesis is to comprehend the recently growing trend among universities and public research organizations to commercialize their research activities from an empirical and theoretical perspective. More particularly the thesis focuses on the life cycle of two main commercialization streams namely the entry and exit of university spinouts, which are companies that evolve from intellectual property developed within academic institutions as well as the licensing and licensing termination of inventions. The main focus of the thesis therefore analysesmarket and technological uncertainty and explains the conditions under which spinout formation, spinout failure, licensing and licensing failure occur by putting them under the theoretical framework of real option theory.

The Australian Government expects universities to engage in technology transfer and commercialisation (TT&C) and almost all universities have established a technology transfer office (TTO) for this purpose. The primary aim of this research was to identify what would enhance the overall performance of Australian universities in research commercialisation and industry uptake of the university research commercialisation outcomes. Four research questions were enunciated: 1 What are the systemic barriers to research commercialisation within Australian universities? 2 How could Australian universities overcome the systemic barriers to the commercialisation of university research? 3 How, in particular, could Australian smaller and regional universities enhance their research commercialisation capacity and performance? 4 How could the uptake by industry of Australian university research outcomes be improved? Question 1 was answered using a qualitative content analysis on the substantial body of literature available. Questions 2 and 3 were answered using multiple-case analysis involving eight Australian university case studies and comparing Australian university practice with five benchmark universities œ two from the US, two from Canada, and one from New Zealand. The first major conclusion was that there are three essential criteria upon which university TT&C success is built: institutional and senior executive support for TT&C superior TTO management; and sufficient world-class research being conducted. The second major conclusion was that the same key criteria for success in TT&C apply across the board, whether a university is smaller, regional, technical, new or old, research-intensive or otherwise. Question 4 was answered using case studies developed on five SME companies in the electronics industry in one Australian State and comparing these results with the outcome of a narrative review conducted on the literature to permit methodological triangulation. The research found a rich engagement occurring between universities and industry, with the most important element involving individual personal relationships.

Universities are facing growing pressure to contribute towards innovation which has social impact and which contributes to economic development. Researchers mainly in the Science and Engineering fields are the primary sources of innovation outputs from universities and as such their involvement in commercialisation activities directly adds to the growth of innovative outputs from publicly financed research. Technology Transfer Offices (TTO) have been established at universities across South Africa to foster the involvement of researchers in commercialisation activities, to champion the innovation conversation within higher education institutions and to progress innovations from concept to application in society. This study focussed on understanding the factors which enable or create a barrier to the involvement of researchers in commercialisation activities at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The key elements examined in this study include the researchers’ perception of enablers (monetary and nonmonetary incentives) and barriers to involvement at national, institutional and individual levels. This study undertook to understand the perceptions of researchers of enablers and barriers to involvement in commercialisation at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Researchers in the two faculties of Science and Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology were approached to anonymously complete an electronic survey, the questions for which were developed from literature. The results from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing. This study finds that a combination of incentives is necessary to enable researcher involvement and to lower barriers to involvement in commercialisation research. A set of recommendations based on the study are put forward on how such recommendations can be implemented.

This study focused on stem cells research to better understand strategic issues of business models involved in technology commercialisation of novel life science technology. The research questions of this study can thus be defined as: (l) what strategy or business model is appropriate for stem cells research commercialisation? and (2) which theoretical issues impact on the selection of strategies which are appropriate for the commercialisation of novel technologies, specifically novel life science technology such as stem cells research. Three objectives were derived from the important question of how to commercialise technology and of particular interest to this study, novel technology such as stem cells research, to: (1) understand the extent and nature of uncertainties affecting stem cells research into routine therapeutic practice; (2) examine the effect of economic, political and ethical issues on the adoption and implementation of commercialisation strategy for stem cells research; and (3) determine possible strategies for survival and growth of biotechnology firms focusing on stem cells research. Fieldwork as carried out in Scotland where purposive sampling used led to the selection of five interviewees for the first round of interviews. Snowballing technique increased the number of interviewees to 12 in the second round of interviewees. The interviewees were essentially key actors in the Scottish stem cells community who possessed the relevant scientific, ethics, regulatory as well business and industry knowledge of stem cells research. The interviews were open-ended. A review of major broadsheet newspapers from the US and UK were also conducted as an exploratory study to address the balance of this study by incorporating an element of how policy issues related to science and technology controversy are defmed, symbolised and resolved. Interview data were transcribed and analysed using content analsysis software QSR NvivoFindings from both rounds of interviews indicated the importance of collaborative strategy such as strategic alliances in overcoming strategic issues of stem cells commercialisation. More government support for stem cells research appeared to be needed to overcome funding issues. The inclusion of newspaper review in the study indicated the positive reporting of stem cells in the UK compared to us. The contribution of findings from the newspaper article analysis establishes a link between public understandings of new technology that were not captured through the two rounds of interviews It is suggested that strategic alliances should be given consideration in future stem cells business model and commercialisation strategy research efforts. Ethical risk too should be part of this suggested model. The implications of these results for theoretical along with practical implications of the fmdings were discussed and opportunities for future research provided

The thesis examines the process of technology transfer in British firms. The literature on modes, causes and effects of technology transfer says little about how British firms transfer their technology abroad. A firm-level study was chosen because most international technology transfer happens not between countries but between firms, even if these firms are in different countries. The present research uses data from British industry, which is still one of the major sources of technology in the world and its firms represent an important example of the role of technology supplier. The adopted methodology consisted of a pilot study, conducted through interviews with executives related to technology in six different firms, using a semi-structured questionnaire, and a survey, conducted through a structured mail-questionnaire, sent to British firms which transfer technology overseas. In the light of an extensive literature review and the pilot study, several non-exclusive dimensions of the transfer of technology related to home market, . technology, foreign government policy, firm's attribute and foreign market were identified and an analytical framework was developed, aggregating those dimensions, that were tested through the survey. The findings suggest that two main groups emerged from the sample. One is described as market/investment led. Its firms usually transfer their latest technology, prefer licensing as their main form of going abroad, are more aggressive, impulsive and dynamic and they transfer their technologies independent of their concerns about the consequences that it can bring to them. The other group is described as control/relationship orientated and its firms are more conservative, follow an incremental mode of internationalisation, do not transfer their latest technology and tend to collude with other firms in a foreign market. The decision of the firms on international operations is generally not influenced by characteristics of the home market or the age of technology. Similarly, attributes of the firms do not appear to have a major influence. Foreign government policy is recognised as very important in defining the process of technology transfer and attributes of foreign markets are important enough to motivate firms to go abroad.

The Internet was initially seen as a metaphor for democracy itself. However, commercialisation, incorporation into existing hierarchies and patterns of daily life and state control and surveillance appear to have undermined these utopian dreams. The vast majority of online activity now takes place in a handful of commercially owned spaces, whose business model rests on the collection and monetisation of user data. However, the upsurge of political action in the Middle East and North Africa in 2010 and 2011, which many argued was facilitated by social media, raised the question of whether these commercial platforms that characterise the contemporary Internet might provide better venues for political speech than previous types of online spaces, particularly in authoritarian states. This thesis addresses the question of how the commercialisation of online spaces affects their ability to provide a venue for political speech in different political systems through a mixed-methods comparison of the U.S. and China. The findings of this thesis support the hypotheses drawn from existing literature: commercialisation is negative for political speech but it is less negative, even potentially positive, in authoritarian systems. However, this research uncovers a surprising explanation for this finding. The greater positivity of commercialisation for political speech in authoritarian systems seems to occur not despite the government but because of it. The Chinese state's active stance in monitoring, encouraging and crafting ideas about political speech has resisted its negative repositioning as a commercial product. In contrast, in the U.S., online political speech has been left to the market that sells back the dream of an online public sphere to users as part of its commercial model. There is still hope that the Internet can provide a venue for political speech but power, particularly over the construction of what it means to be a political speaker in modern society, needs to be taken back from the market.

Over the years, scholarly interest in the role of business models to unlock the value of latent technology has increased. It is argued that the commercialisation of new technology requires business models that respond to a myriad of challenges and market needs. However, limited attention has been paid to understand how early-stage business models are developed to commercialise new university technology. Specifically, there are limited studies scrutinising the early-stage business models developed by University Spin-Offs (USOs), despite the fact that these are breeding grounds for new technology with commercial potential. Therefore, this thesis examines how USOs develop early-stage business models to commercialise new technology for the cleantech industry. To achieve this, an in-depth case study of four cleantech USOs at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom was performed. Sixty interviews with multiple stakeholders were conducted, and effectual logic and the concept of opportunity creation were adopted to inform the investigation. The findings, presented in a conceptual framework, suggest that USOs develop early-stage business models through three interlocking mechanisms. First, value is created through flow-field control, which is achieved by taking active control over a firm's resources and capabilities. Second, value is captured through pragmatic kinesis, defined as being sensible when moving towards profit. Third, value network is managed through deliberate temperament, which is used to align stakeholders' expectations. Along with these findings, the thesis also advances COPE principles (i.e. take control, create opportunities, forge partnerships and embrace contingencies) as parameters for the development of early-stage business models. The empirical evidence offers a critical logical shift in our understanding of early-stage business models development for commercialising university technology in the cleantech industry. The conceptual framework responds to scholarly inquiries to improve the theoretical grounding and construct clarity of business models. The thesis also informs policymakers about the pitfalls and opportunities associated with new technology commercialisation in the cleantech industry, where uncertainties are ubiquitous.

The significance of soft errors in logic has grown because of reduced memory vulnerability and the shrinking dimensions of semiconductor technology coupled with the increasing amount of logic integrated into a chip. Consequently, some of ARM’s customers are concerned about how soft errors on the bus interconnect will affect the dependability of their systems, since the interconnect is a critical hub of communication in a SoC and represents a substantial and growing amount of logic. With the rising complexity of their systems, the interconnect will become larger and more complex in the future, adding to their concern. In this work the impact of soft errors on the bus interconnect logic was investigated and a product was developed to ameliorate the effects of such errors on ARM’s customers’ products. Methods to measure the SER of ARM IP were investigated by focusing on logical masking, which is a component in the calculation of the SER. The effect that the topology of a combinatorial logic circuit has on its logical masking rate was considered by performing gate-level statistical fault injection on different implementations of adder circuits. Significant variation in logical masking was found ranging from a factor of 3.1 at a synthesis frequency of 100 MHz to a factor of 2.1 at 900 MHz. This difference is explained in an original way by correlating logical masking with the circuit’s path length and fan-out. These properties could be used to create a static method of measuring the logical masking rather than the current time-consuming method of dynamic simulation. Additionally, nearly 30% of faults injected cause more than one error, which means that the combinational SER will be underestimated if research does not take gate fan-out into consideration. Using this methodology a circuit designer can now base his choice or development of a circuit on its reliability as well as its performance, power, and area. Studying the variation in the factors that affect the SER is important to ensure accuracy in addressing customer requirements. Although it is important to consider the rate of soft error occurrence, in this work the impact of errors is demonstrated to be critical. Using protocol-level fault injection it is shown that faults on the ARM AXI bus interconnect can have a serious effect on the reliability of the entire SoC such as deadlock, memory corruption, or undefined behaviour. Using a fault-path traversal algorithm, it is demonstrated that traditional error detection codes are not sufficient at preventing these failures when faults occur on certain AXI bus signals. This led to the development of novel fault tolerant methods that provide protection for these identified signals. Based on these developments, a product was proposed for an add-on to the AXI bus interconnect that can detect, correct, and report logic soft errors without changing the AMBA standard or the customer’s connecting IP.

This work offers a comparative economic study of the development and commercialisation of the LWR technology and an analysis of the thermoelectromechanical and nuclear equipment industry, with special reference to France, Germany and Italy. It takes the view that a nuclear power plant cannot be analysed as a technical good independent of the relevant technological environment and industrial structure. The chief contribution of the study lies in combining the analysis of a technology and the reasons underlying its selection and the grounds for success or failure of national technology paths, with investigation of the relation between the technology and structure and organisation of the industry. Major emphasis is laid on the evolutionary nature of nuclear technological change, and its incremental rather than radical innovation path, dictated by criteria of technological-industrial continuity. The study thus focuses on the interplay between technology, market structure and state intervention, and the effects of these factors on national nuclear systems and international trade. The work is divided into three separate but interrelated parts. The first is concerned with economic aspects of technological change and, in particular, the role, instruments and extent of state intervention in the industrial economy and technology policy. Part II is devoted to the development and co •• ercialisation of LWRs. The approach adopted combines historical and economic analysis. An account is provided of the early stages of growth of the US nuclear industry and its establishment on the world market. The growth paths of the main European industries are examined with emphasis on the transition from independent technologies, to US licensees, to the successful autonomous implementation of the LWR, and the problems encountered by further nuclear expansion. Rere - as in Part III which provides a more detailed analysis of the development and present situation of the Italian nuclear system - stress is laid on the institutional frameworks in promoting innovation and technical change, and in providing adequate export support.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a policy initiative to uplift innovation capabilities among indigenous high-technology small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. As an emerging economy, Malaysia has actively introduced policies to propel economic development. These policies are acknowledged as powerful tools to promote industrialisation and economic diversification. As the country moves towards a knowledge-based economy, this study provides insight into how a policy comprising a financial initiative introduced by Malaysian Government has been used to enhance capabilities of indigenous small and medium enterprises particularly for innovation. This study is exploratory since it seeks to find out how firms developed and enhanced their innovation capabilities in the presence of government policy. The goal is to learn 'what is going on here' and the phenomenon in light of the innovation process and Dynamic Capabilities (DC) concepts. This study adopts an interpretative approach and uses multiple case studies with semi-structured interviews as the main data collection technique. This study relies on this technique to explore the views and experience of the selected Commercialisation of Research and Development Fund (CRDF) recipient about the impact and application of that policy initiative (i.e. the CRDF). Overall, the researcher conducted 13 one-to-one and three group interviews. The interviewees consist of key informants from firms and MTDC personnel. Two additional data collection methods: documentary analysis and observations were utilised; thus, improving the triangulation of the findings. The findings show that the implementation of the CRDF in particular is in line with the specific objectives of the policy which is intended to support commercialisation of research outputs among indigenous small firms. This study also found that this policy initiative tends to affect the latter end of the innovation process (i.e. in particular in the exploitation phase) rather to the innovation process in general. These findings demonstrate how firms have been using funds from the CRDF to support the innovation process, especially for upgrading their capability regarding the new product development process for high technology products. The important dimension that emerged is that the CRDF is enhancing firms innovation and dynamic capabilities, especially those capabilities relating to their ability to carry out innovation. These capabilities are centred on firms’ ability to respond to a changing environment by producing high technology products that meet regulatory requirements as well as customer demand.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The role of the media as a watchdog for the social institution of science is viewed as part of the media’s role to protect society. In this regard, the role of media was studied in reporting the phenomenon of the commercialisation of academic research at universities. The current study was conducted by analysing articles in 2 scientific journals (Science and Nature) and 4 printed newspapers (The New York Times, London Times, Mail & Gaurdian, Business Day) for the year 2003. The methods of investigation for each publication included the number of articles covering the topic, the percentage coverage, headline analysis, summary of contents and analysis of the themes. The New York Times had more articles on the topic of the “commercialisation of science at universities” than the other publications. However, based on the number of issues per year, Science and Nature had a greater coverage of the topic than The New York Times. Based on the analyses of the articles, it is concluded that The New York Times had the most balanced and informed coverage of all the issues and stakeholders involved in the commercialisation of science at universities. This is attributed to the The New York Times’s position of standing outside the realm of science and its experience in covering broad issues.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die rol van die media as ‘n waghond vir die sosiale instelling van die wetenskap, word gesien as deel van die media se rol as die beskermer van die samelewing. In hierdie opsig is die media se rol in die verslaglewering van die kommersialisering van die wetenskap by universiteite ondersoek. Hierdie studie is uitgevoer deur artikels in 2 wetenskaplike vaktydskrifte (Science en Nature) en 4 koerante (The New York Times, London Times, Mail & Guardian, Business Day) vir die jaar 2003, te analiseer. Die metodes wat gebruik is om elke artikel te ontleed, het die aantal artikels, die persentasie van artikels in elke publikasie, hoofopskrif analise, opsomming van inhoud en ‘n analise van die artikel se tema, ingesluit. The New York Times het meer artikels omtrent die onderwerp, die “kommersialisering van die wetenskap by universiteite”, as die ander publikasies gehad. Gebaseer op die aantal uitgawes per jaar, het Science en Nature meer aandag geskenk aan die onderwerp as The New York Times. Volgens die analises van die artikels, word afgeleui dat The New York Times die mees gebalanseerde en ingeligte dekking gehad het oor die betrokke sake en partye in die “kommersialisering van die wetenskap by universiteite”. Dit word toegeskryf aan die The New York Times se posisie as buitestaander in die wetenskap en die koerant se ondervinding om ‘n wye veld te dek.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015.
Universities have long been recognised as sources of knowledge creation, innovation and technological advancements. Interest in academic entrepreneurship and the establishment of university spin-off companies has grown in South Africa over the past 10 years. South Africa’s national research and development strategy argues that economic growth and wealth generation are founded on innovation. The area of university entrepreneurial behaviour and technology commercialisation has attracted much research attention in recent years especially as more innovative solutions are sought for the world’s ever growing socioeconomic challenges. In view of this, the South African government has made considerable and various efforts to promote the creation and commercialisation of research output in the university context. Against the aforementioned, this study seeks to understand the position of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) as a university of technology in terms of commercialisation and technology creation since the 2005 merger. More specifically, the study seeks to understand the dynamics surrounding the creation and transfer of technology in South Africa, using CPUT as a case study.

Thesis (MScEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The evolution of the university’s role in national innovation systems has lately received increasing attention in international academic circles, with emphasis on its role in stimulating and sustaining national and regional economic growth. Universities in leading economies have adopted economic development as a third mission, along with the traditional objectives of teaching and research, directly leading to the inception of a technology transfer facilitator as an institutional unit. Translating this mission shift into the context of the Innovation Life Cycle, it seems that universities are involved in a larger part of the innovation process, rather than simply supplying inputs for the innovation funnel of industry. The subsequent need to gain maximum value from research has led innovation management practitioners to consider ways in which the innovation capability of universities can be improved. Several approaches have been documented to improve the performance of a university’s technology transfer office as an isolated entity. Most of these studies, however, have neglected to consider the technology transfer office in the context of the organisation-wide innovation process. The aim of this research is therefore to evaluate the innovation capability of a research institution to enable the improvement of their research commercialisation system. As a foundation the state of research commercialisation, innovation, and the relationship between the two are investigated. This process resulted in the validation that research commercialisation can be modelled by utilising an innovation model. The Innovation Capability Maturity Model version 2 (ICMMv2) of Essmann (1) is subsequently investigated with the aim of applying the model. This in turn leads to the application of the Innovation Capability Improvement Methodology accompanying the ICMMv2 in case study format on Stellenbosch University. The results obtained from the case study are presented in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of the innovation capability of the University. The results were found to be an accurate description of the current issues in the commercialisation system at Stellenbosch University. The latter was validated by individuals tasked with the execution of the research commercialisation process at the University. This, in turn, validates the use of the Innovation Capability Maturity Model for the identification of any aspects that need improvement in order to streamline a university’s research commercialisation efforts.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die evolusie van die universiteit se rol in nasionale innovasie stelsels kry toenemend aandag in internasionale akademiese kringe. Dit beklemtoon universiteite se rol in die stimulering en handhawing van nasionale en plaaslike ekonomiese groei. Universiteite in voorste ekonomieë het ekonomiese ontwikkeling aangeneem as 'n derde missie, saam met die tradisionele missies van onderrig en navorsing. Dit het direk gelei tot die inlywing van ‘n tegnologie-oordrag fasiliteerder as 'n institusionele eenheid. Die verskuiwing van missie in die konteks van die Innovasie lewensiklus, dui daarop dat universiteite betrokke raak in 'n groter deel van die innovasie proses, eerder as om net die verskaffer van insette vir die innovasie tregter van die industrie te wees. Die daaropvolgende vereiste om maksimum waarde te verkry uit navorsing, het veroorsaak dat innovasie bestuur praktisyns verskeie maniere ondersoek waarop die innovasie vermoë van universiteite verbeter kan word. Verskeie benaderings om die prestasie van 'n universiteit se tegnologie-oordrag eenheid as 'n geïsoleerde entiteit te verbeter, is gedokumenteer. Die meeste van hierdie studies het egter nagelaat om die tegnologie-oordrag eenheid te oorweeg in die konteks van die organisasie-wye innovasie proses. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is dus om die innovasie vermoë van 'n navorsingsinrigting te evalueer om die verbetering van hul navorsing kommersialisering stelsel moontlik te maak. As 'n basis word die stand van navorsing kommersialisering, innovasie en die verhouding tussen die twee ondersoek. Hierdie proses het gelei tot die validasie dat navorsing kommersialisering gemodelleer kan word deur middel van 'n innovasie model. Daarna is die Innovation Capability Maturity Model weergawe 2 (ICMMv2) van Essmann(1) ondersoek om ten einde die model toe te pas. Dit word gevolg deur die uitvoering van die Innovation Capability Improvement metodologie, as deel van die ICMMv2, op die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, in ‘n gevallestudie-formaat. Die resultate wat verkry is uit die gevallestudie word in terme van sterk en swak punte met betrekking tot die innovasie vermoë van die Universiteit bespreek. Die resultate is bevind om 'n akkurate beskrywing van die huidige kwessies in die kommersialiseringstelsel by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch te wees. Dit is dan ook bevestig deur sekere individue gemoeid met die uitvoering van die navorsing kommersialiseringproses by die Universiteit. Dit op sy beurt, bekragtig die gebruik van die ICMMv2 vir die identifisering van die aspekte wat verbeter moet word om 'n universiteit se navorsing kommersialiseringpoging vaartbelyn te maak.

Doutoramento em Gestão Industrial
O desenvolvimento económico sustentado das empresas é um fator chave para a competitividade. Num ambiente competitivo global, intenso e dinâmico, a eficiência e rapidez do desenvolvimento de novos produtos e serviços pode permitir obter a diferenciação que sustenta uma vantagem competitiva. De forma a tornar a inovação numa competência sustentada, é necessária a criação de um eficiente processo de transferência de conhecimento dos centros de investigação e desenvolvimento (I&D) para as empresas. A criação de valor económico e social requer que o este conhecimento seja incorporado numa tecnologia. A eficiência dos processos de comercialização de tecnologias tem impacto na criação de novas empresas de base tecnológica e consequentemente no desenvolvimento económico do país. No entanto, as elevadas taxas de insucesso destes processos são um forte sinal da necessidade de investigar novos modelos de comercialização. Neste contexto, a definição de novos modelos de comercialização de tecnologia é de destacada importância para aumentar a eficiência do processo, para a criação de valor a partir do conhecimento gerado pela investigação e desenvolvimento e consequentemente para aumentar a competitividade. A principal contribuição deste trabalho de investigação reside na proposta de um novo modelo de comercialização de tecnologia, resultante da análise de diferentes modelos de comercialização de tecnologia, na identificação dos seus fatores críticos de sucesso, bem como dos elementos facilitadores. De forma a atingir estes objetivos, o trabalho incidirá sobre a: i. Descrição teórica do processo e dos conceitos inter-relacionados; ii. Análise de processos, atividades e dos diversos atores envolvidos; iii. Análise do valor e do risco da tecnologia, bem como da assimetria de informação entre os atores; iv. Definição e a avaliação de um novo modelo valorização da tecnologia e na redução do risco.
Sustainable economic development is a key factor for competitiveness. In a global, intense and dynamic competitive environment, efficiency and development lead time of new products and services enablers’ differentiation and competitive advantage. In order to make innovation a sustained competence, an efficient knowledge transfer process from Research and Development (R&D) organizations to other parties is required. The deployment of this knowledge to create social and economic value requires it to be embedded in a technology. The efficiency of technology commercialization processes impacts the creation of new technological-based companies and consequently countries economic development. However these processes have high failure rates which point toward the need to investigate new technology commercialization models. In this context, the definition of a new technology commercialization model is particularly important to increase process efficiency, to create value from knowledge generated by research and development and therefore to increase competitiveness. This research work main contribution, towards different technology commercialization models analysis, their critical success factors, and enablers´ identification, is to propose a new technology commercialization model. In order to achieve these objectives, the work will focus on: i. Process theoretical description and inter-related underpinnings; ii. Process, activities and involved actors analysis; iii. Technology risk, value and informational asymmetry analysis; iv. Proposal of a value approach and risk reduction technology commercialization model and assessment model.

Digitalisation has changed the way many industries do business, and the consultancy industry has not escaped the challenges these changes can bring. To stay competitive, companies need to explore new products and services, as well as maintain their established businesses. However, this can be difficult to do, especially if companies are not experienced in developing new products or services. Research on innovation processes in professional service firms is sparse, and most existing research focuses on the first stages of innovation. Therefore, this study examines the innovation process at a large consultancy firm, placing the focus on the later stages of innovation, particularly, the development and commercialisation phases. Our aim was to identify the challenges in these phases, and to present recommendations on how to address them.  The study was conducted at a large Swedish consultancy firm that had recently implemented an innovation programme. We identified several challenges. The financial structure led to challenges, a reluctance to take financial risks and allocate the needed financial resources towards innovation. This case company lacked funding of the business side of innovation, which led to challenges such as insufficient groundwork in the FEI and insufficient business support. The contextual ambidextrous structure included challenges for the employees to balance the core tasks and exploitative tasks. Other challenges were related to innovators lacking NPD competence, support and a dedicated team. Based on best-practices from literature, recommendations were provided regarding financing the business-side of innovation, front-loading the projects more, clarifying and communicating the process to team members, as well as implementing a decision board to better handle changes in the projects.
Digitaliseringen har ändrat hur många företag arbetar, och även konsultbranschen påverkas av detta. För att förbli konkurrenskraftiga måste företag arbeta med kärnverksamheten samtidigt som de utforskar möjligheter att skapa nya tjänster och produkter. Dock kan det vara utmanande för företag att utveckla och kommersialisera nya innovationer, speciellt för de företag som inte ägnar sig åt det i det vardagliga arbetet. Det finns bristande forskning kring innovation på professionella tjänsteföretag och mycket forskning fokuserar på de tidigare skedena av innovationsprocessen. Den här studien utvärderar innovationsprocessen på ett stort konsultbolag med fokus på de senare faserna i processen, mer specifikt utveckling och kommersialiserings faserna. Målet med studien var att identifiera utmaningar i dessa faser och att presentera rekommendationer hur de kan hanteras.  Studien har utförts på en stor svensk konsultfirma som nyligen implementerat ett innovationsprogram. Flera utmaningar kunde identifieras. Konsultverksamheten är ovana att ta stora risker och investera stora belopp i innovationsprojekt. Detta fallföretag hade otillräcklig finansiering av affärsdelen av innovation, vilket ledde till utmaningar relaterade till otillräckligt förarbete och bristande affärsstöd. Den kontextuella tvåhäntheten medförde utmaningar för arbetarna att balansera de vardagliga uppgifterna och innovationsprojekt. Andra utmaningar kunde kopplas till att innovatörerna saknade kunskap inom produktutveckling, stöd och team. Rekommendationer baserade på bästa praxis gavs angående att finansiera affärssidan av innovation, koncentrera mer arbete i projektets start, förtydliga och kommunicera innovationsprocessen till teamet, samt införa en styrgrupp för att enklare hantera ändringar i projekt.

La thèse examine les configurations d'acteurs et d'organisations impliquées dans la régulation de l'accès au marché des médicaments en France et en Angleterre, en charge du contrôle scientifique et administratif de la fixation du prix et du remboursement de ces produits. Cette activité s'autonomise de l'appréciation clinique de leur qualité, de leur efficacité et de leur innocuité (dominant la régulation de leur approbation sur le marché) au cours des années 1980
This thesis examines the configurations of actors and organizations involved in the regulation of the market access for drugs in France and England. Since the mid-1980s, this process has entailed the development of administrative and scientific controls over the fixing of the price and the conditions of reimbursement of these products. These controls have become autonomus from clinical appreciation of their quality, efficacity and safety that dominate approval regulation as a whole

La fabrication additive plus communément nommée l’impression 3D est une « innovation de rupture », car elle bouleverse les modèles économiques actuels et met en marche une troisième révolution industrielle. Désormais, tout est quasiment imprimable, peu importe la matière, le prix et le domaine concerné. Cette technologie aux potentiels incommensurables pour l’innovation et la production doit trouver son équilibre avec les droits de la propriété intellectuelle. De nombreuses doctrines se sont accordées sur le fait que le droit de la propriété intellectuelle français disposait des outils nécessaires pour appréhender ces technologies et donc que des interventions à court terme n’étaient pas nécessaires. Cependant, l’objectif de ce mémoire est de montrer que le droit de la propriété littéraire et artistique tend à être impacté par l’impression 3D. En effet, cette technique propice à la fabrication de contrefaçon met à mal l’exception de copie privée et le marché de l’art. Les conditions nécessaires pour caractériser l’exception de copie privée ne sont pas adaptées à l’impression 3D. De ce constat résultent des situations où les frontières entre la copie privée et la contrefaçon deviennent poreuses au détriment des particuliers, mais aussi des créateurs qui ne bénéficient pas de la compensation équitable de l’exception. D’autre part, le recours aux impressions 3D avec des techniques limitées porte atteinte à l’intégrité et au respect des œuvres. Alors qu’avec une technique sophistiquée elle permet de reproduire des œuvres quasi identiques sans moyen d’identifier la contrefaçon de l’original. De cette dernière situation découlent des risques d’introduction de faux dans le marché de l’art. La problématique principale de ce développement repose donc sur un meilleur contrôle de la contrefaçon pour la contrecarrer et rétablir la frontière entre l’exception de copie privée et la contrefaçon. Il est donc nécessaire d’anticiper le potentiel de cette technologie en proposant un encadrement plus protecteur des droits des auteurs, des intervenants du processus de création d’un objet imprimé et des consommateurs sans freiner son développement. L’interconnexion de modifications légales sur la responsabilité des intervenants et sur l’exception de copie privée, des interventions contractuelles avec la mise en place d’offre légale, le recours à des outils techniques en amont et en aval du processus de création d’un objet tridimensionnelle pour contrôler, identifier et tracer les objets ainsi qu’une sensibilisation des intervenants permettront de mettre en place un encadrement plus protecteur et efficace sur le long terme.
La fabrication additive plus communément nommée l’impression 3D est une « innovation de rupture », car elle bouleverse les modèles économiques actuels et met en marche une troisième révolution industrielle. Désormais, tout est quasiment imprimable, peu importe la matière, le prix et le domaine concerné. Cette technologie aux potentiels incommensurables pour l’innovation et la production doit trouver son équilibre avec les droits de la propriété intellectuelle. De nombreuses doctrines se sont accordées sur le fait que le droit de la propriété intellectuelle français disposait des outils nécessaires pour appréhender ces technologies et donc que des interventions à court terme n’étaient pas nécessaires. Cependant, l’objectif de ce mémoire est de montrer que le droit de la propriété littéraire et artistique tend à être impacté par l’impression 3D. En effet, cette technique propice à la fabrication de contrefaçon met à mal l’exception de copie privée et le marché de l’art. Les conditions nécessaires pour caractériser l’exception de copie privée ne sont pas adaptées à l’impression 3D. De ce constat résultent des situations où les frontières entre la copie privée et la contrefaçon deviennent poreuses au détriment des particuliers, mais aussi des créateurs qui ne bénéficient pas de la compensation équitable de l’exception. D’autre part, le recours aux impressions 3D avec des techniques limitées porte atteinte à l’intégrité et au respect des œuvres. Alors qu’avec une technique sophistiquée elle permet de reproduire des œuvres quasi identiques sans moyen d’identifier la contrefaçon de l’original. De cette dernière situation découlent des risques d’introduction de faux dans le marché de l’art. La problématique principale de ce développement repose donc sur un meilleur contrôle de la contrefaçon pour la contrecarrer et rétablir la frontière entre l’exception de copie privée et la contrefaçon. Il est donc nécessaire d’anticiper le potentiel de cette technologie en proposant un encadrement plus protecteur des droits des auteurs, des intervenants du processus de création d’un objet imprimé et des consommateurs sans freiner son développement. L’interconnexion de modifications légales sur la responsabilité des intervenants et sur l’exception de copie privée, des interventions contractuelles avec la mise en place d’offre légale, le recours à des outils techniques en amont et en aval du processus de création d’un objet tridimensionnelle pour contrôler, identifier et tracer les objets ainsi qu’une sensibilisation des intervenants permettront de mettre en place un encadrement plus protecteur et efficace sur le long terme.
Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, is a "breakthrough innovation" because it disrupts current business models and sets in motion a third industrial revolution. From now on, almost everything is printable, regardless of the subject, the price and the field concerned. This technology with huge potential for innovation and production must strike a balance with intellectual property rights. Many doctrines have agreed that French intellectual property law has the necessary tools to apprehend these technologies and therefore that short-term legal interventions are not necessary. However, the purpose of this dissertation is to show that 3D printing does impact the law of literary and artistic. Indeed, this technique conducive to the manufacture of counterfeit undermines the exception of private copying and the art market. The conditions necessary to characterize the private copy exception are not suitable for 3D printing. This analysis results in situations where the boundaries between private copying and counterfeiting become porous to the detriment of individuals, but also creators who do not benefit from the fair compensation of the exception. Moreover, the use of 3D printing with limited techniques undermines the integrity and respect of works. While with a sophisticated technique allow a reproduction of almost identical works without any ways to identify the counterfeit from the original. From this last observation, arises the risks of introducing forgeries into the art market. The main problem of this development therefore lies in a better control of counterfeiting in order to counter it and restore the border between the private copying exception and counterfeiting. It is therefore necessary to anticipate the potential of this technology and prevent its negative effects by providing a more protective framework for the rights of authors, stakeholders in the process of creating a printed object and consumers without curbing its development. An interconnection of legal changes on the responsibility of the stakeholders and the exception of private copying, contractual interventions with the establishment of legal offer, the use of technical tools upstream and downstream of the process of creation of a three-dimensional object to control, identify and trace objects as well as stakeholder awareness will help set up a more protective and effective framework in the long term.
Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, is a "breakthrough innovation" because it disrupts current business models and sets in motion a third industrial revolution. From now on, almost everything is printable, regardless of the subject, the price and the field concerned. This technology with huge potential for innovation and production must strike a balance with intellectual property rights. Many doctrines have agreed that French intellectual property law has the necessary tools to apprehend these technologies and therefore that short-term legal interventions are not necessary. However, the purpose of this dissertation is to show that 3D printing does impact the law of literary and artistic. Indeed, this technique conducive to the manufacture of counterfeit undermines the exception of private copying and the art market. The conditions necessary to characterize the private copy exception are not suitable for 3D printing. This analysis results in situations where the boundaries between private copying and counterfeiting become porous to the detriment of individuals, but also creators who do not benefit from the fair compensation of the exception. Moreover, the use of 3D printing with limited techniques undermines the integrity and respect of works. While with a sophisticated technique allow a reproduction of almost identical works without any ways to identify the counterfeit from the original. From this last observation, arises the risks of introducing forgeries into the art market. The main problem of this development therefore lies in a better control of counterfeiting in order to counter it and restore the border between the private copying exception and counterfeiting. It is therefore necessary to anticipate the potential of this technology and prevent its negative effects by providing a more protective framework for the rights of authors, stakeholders in the process of creating a printed object and consumers without curbing its development. An interconnection of legal changes on the responsibility of the stakeholders and the exception of private copying, contractual interventions with the establishment of legal offer, the use of technical tools upstream and downstream of the process of creation of a three-dimensional object to control, identify and trace objects as well as stakeholder awareness will help set up a more protective and effective framework in the long term.

Les nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication sont une nouvelle donnee pour l'entreprise de distribution. Elles ont un impact sur la definition de sa strategie et sur les relations avec son environnement. Le modele des couts de transaction, les theories de la distribution et l'approche du juste a temps peuvent etre integres dans un modele plus large qui eclaire la mise en place et l'impact des nouvelles technologies dans l'entreprise de distribution. Ces concepts sont presentes dans un premier chapitre. Une enquete a ete realisee aupres d'un echantillon de distributeurs representant 75% du chiffre d'affaires du secteur. Elle permet de determiner une typologie des firmes selon leur equipement en nouvelles technologies. Une analyse de contenu complete cette etude et revele les modes d'implantation et les impacts percus par les responsables des entreprises. Enfin, sont determinees, les consequences methodologiques et pratiques pour le distributeur de l'insertion des nouvelles technologiques dans l'entreprise de distribution

L’incertitude est présente dans toute innovation. Dans le domaine des nanotechnologies, l’incertitude qui entoure les risques sanitaires et environnementaux dont ces technologies pourraient être porteuses est si importante que la question de leur succès se pose.En partie du fait du manque de données cohérentes, il n’existe qu’une littérature empirique limitée sur les déterminants de la diffusion des nanotechnologies. Dans le cadre d’un programme de recherche sur les nanotechnologies, cette thèse a pour but d’investiguer les déterminants de l’adoption d’innovations dans une situation d’incertitude sur les risques environnementaux et sanitaires. Dans cette optique, nos travaux visent dans un premier temps à fournir une meilleure compréhension de la diffusion d’un produit qui est présent sur le marché depuis longtemps. Nous avons choisi une substance chimique très utilisée, le bisphénol A (BPA). Différentes méthodes économétriques sont appliquées afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre la consommation, la croissance économique, les nouvelles connaissances scientifiques concernant le risque et d’autres variables utilisant les données relatives au BPA. Les résultats illustrent un ensemble de facteurs qui influencent la consommation de BPA au niveau international.Dans un second temps, nous montrons dans quelle mesure cette étude permet d’éclairer la réflexion initiée sur la diffusion des nanotechnologies, notamment le nano-argent.Le comportement des différents acteurs en réponse à la production de connaissances scientifiques nouvelles sur les risques est étudié, ce qui nous permet d’aboutir à une compréhension approfondie de “développement nanoresponsable”
Uncertainty is immanent in every innovation. Uncertainty about environmental and health risks that surround nanotechnology raises the questions of innovation success. Due in part to a lack of consistent data, there is limited empirical literature on determinants of the diffusion of nanotechnology. As part of a research program on nanotechnology, this research aims to investigate determinants of uptake of innovation in a situation of uncertainty about environmental and health risks. With this goal, as a first step, this work seeks to provide better understanding of the diffusion of a product that has been on the market for a long time. We have chosen a chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), because of the lack of historical data on nanomaterials. As a second step, we compare the results of the BPA study to nanosilver. We apply different econometric methods to gain insights into the relationship between consumption, economic growth, new scientific knowledge about risk and other variables using the data on BPA. The results illustrate a set of factors that influences the consumption of BPA at international level. The comparative study between BPA and nanosilver helps to refine the interpretation of main results and to obtain additional insights into the determinants of uptake of nanosilver. An explanatory analysis sheds light on the actions that different stakeholders undertake in response to new scientific knowledge about risk and deepens our understanding of “nanoresponsible development”.Keywords: Innovation, diffusion of innovation, product life cycle, nanotechnology, bisphenol A, risk, uncertainty, environment, health, precautionary principle, Safer by Design, responsible development

The emergence on knowledge-based and innovation-based economy has led to numerous universities restructuring themselves in response to this new economic growth shift. Technology transfer is the process of converting scientific findings into useful products or services for society.The purpose of the study was to identify they key determinants that drives successful commercialisation of university innovations by technology transfer offices.The research took a qualitative methodology wherein open ended questions in the form of narrative inquiry were posed to experts in the field of university technology transfer to explore and understand the critical determinants that drives successful commercialisation of university innovations. From the twelve themes that emerged as determinants for diving successful commercialisation of innovation, buy-in by top management of the university, awareness about technology transfer office, enabling environment and financial stability were considered as highly critical for commercialisation of university innovations by technology transfer offices.A technology transfer office can create many benefits for the university, industry, and the surrounding community, but it requires carefully planned and consistent longterm financial and administrative support. And above all, it requires technology transfer officers that are able and willing to take risks and university top management that support them.
Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
unrestricted

Genetically modified insect-resistant (Bt) cotton is widely cultivated in Pakistan, although the Pakistani Government has yet to approve its commercial cultivation. This thesis is the first in-depth, systematic and critical examination of its commercialisation through the informal sector, and explains the conundrum of around 6.4 million acres of ‘illegal’ cultivation of a GM crop.
Most popular Bt varieties under cultivation in Pakistan contain Monsanto’s genetic modification event (called MON 531), widely believed to be under patent protection in Pakistan. Not wanting to infringe Monsanto’s intellectual property rights (IPR), the Pakistani Government has refused biosafety approval to these varieties. Consequently, the Pakistani breeders of these high-yielding Bt varieties commercialised them in the informal sector. This research decriminalises seed provision in the informal sector and shows that rather than being discrete categories, the formal/informal sectors are locations across which breeders and varieties travel.
For its part, Monsanto is not willing to enter the Pakistani seed market, considering it too disorderly in which to operate. It seeks to operate in the ‘high-differential’ end of the market, therefore requiring active engagement of the Government to keep the farmer from dropping out. Alternatively, Monsanto proposes that the Government licenses MON 531 on payment of an annual technology fee for use by Pakistani farmers and breeders. This technology fee is compared with Monsanto’s cost of development of Bt products, and Pakistan’s budgetary allocation for agriculture. On both counts, the technology fee demanded by Monsanto is excessive.
An examination of Pakistan’s patent law and the patents granted to Monsanto reveals that neither MON 531 nor biotechnological products/processes required for its insertion in local cotton varieties are patented in Pakistan. Thus Pakistan presents a unique case where the Government has consistently honoured patents that it never issued. It is argued that Monsanto’s non-existent IPR has been honoured due to the particular social relations between Monsanto and Pakistani farmers and breeders. Since MON 531 is a commodity objectifying the labour of a particular social group, a patent thereupon becomes a means to operationalise the social relations between this social group and those who consume this commodity.
An alternate route for commercialisation is through the hybrid seed. Monsanto is willing to enter the Pakistani seed market if its technology can be carried in hybrid seeds. But the use of hybrid seed is economically unfeasible in cotton production, and there are significant problems with hybrid seed production in large quantities for the Pakistani market. Yet Monsanto and other companies prefer the hybrid route to technology commercialisation because of an important latent function that hybrids perform – they stop the farmer from saving seed.
It is argued that IPR and the use of hybrid seed are key social and technical strategies for accumulation by dispossession. They represent the commodification of seed, which is a pre-requisite for the process of accumulation. At the same time, these appear to be the only available strategies within existing social relations for improving cotton germplasm and for providing quality Bt seed to the Pakistani farmer.

There is at present a growing concern and awareness of the endangered status of many indigenous South African plants in the wild, a number of which have potential for commercial production. One such example is Gladiolus scabridus, a vulnerable species endemic to the mountains of northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Swaziland. It has considerable potential due to its floral characteristics. However, little is known about its horticultural requirements. Thus propagation and cultural practices were investigated with the aim of both conservation and commercialisation of the species. The ideal conditions for G. scabridus seed germination were determined. The presence or absence of light had no significant effect. Optimum germination was achieved at 20 QC of both winged and dewinged seeds. Higher temperatures appear to have a negative effect on germination and none of the winged seeds germinated at 30 QC. Under ideal conditions, fresh seed showed significantly higher vigour and viability than stored seed although the germination of stored seed was hampered by a higher internal fungal content. Successful tissue culture protocol was established for G. scabridus axillary bud and cormel halve explants. During the initial shoot initiation and proliferation stages (stage I and 11), the significantly higher shoot numbers occurred in the absence of growth regulators in both explant types. However, shoots with 1.0 mg 1 -1 6-benzyl-amino-purine (BAP) and 0.5 mg 1 -1 1-naphthalene-acetic-acid (NAA) were healthier in appearance. Higher levels of 5.0 mg 1 -1 NAA inhibited shoot production and encouraged root development in cormel halve explants. During stage 11, axillary bud explants showed root and cormlet development. More roots were initiated without growth regulators, whilst 5.0 mg 1 -1 NAA resulted in significantly better cormlet development. Shoot and cormlet growth of cormel halve explants during stage II was not significantly affected by the presence or absence of NAA and BAP. Significantly more roots were produced with 5.0 mg 1 -1 NAA. During stage III (rooting), the presence of activated charcoal (AC) was essential for the initiation and development of roots in vitro. Root and cormlet development in all explant types was significantly affected by the interaction between the previous treatments from stages I and 11 and the new treatments. During stage IV (hardening off) , most explants died down in the hardening off media leaving resting cormlets. There was a significant interaction between 1.0 mg 1 -1 NAA and 0.3 % AC from stage III, resulting in significantly more cormlets in both axillary bud and cormel halve explants. There was successful cormlet growth after cold storage which is advantageous in reducing the need for acclimatization. G. scabridus corms were successfully forced out of their normal flowering period. Temperatures of 10,5.5 and 2 QC showed successful corm initiation although the corms need to be stored for longer at warmer temperatures. It is suggested that a treatment of 2 QC for 6 weeks is the optimal condition for forcing G. scabridus corms. Although originating from a stressful environment, G. scabridus appears to show capacities for improved growth under controlled conditions. Fertilizer applications enhanced growth and reduced the time to flowering. Nitrogen (N) was found to be important for vegetative growth, flowering and daughter corm development, whereas potassium (K) influenced cormel production. Fertilizer with higher N and lower K is appropriate for the beginning and middle of the growing season and then adjusted to a lower N and higher K fertilizer to promote cormel formation. G. scabridus was found to produce prolific numbers of cormels which is an important source of plant material. Mineral leaf analysis showed that optimum levels for wild species are lower than those for hybrid gladioli with the optimum levels affected by physiological corm maturity and subsequent plant growth. Norms for postharvest handling of cut G. scabridus spikes have been developed. Spikes held in 2 % sucrose had a longer vase life and better floret opening and quality than those kept in distilled water, Prolong, Chrysal, 2 % sucrose and 2 % ethanol, 1 % sucrose, 4 % sucrose, 1 % sucrose and 0.5 % JIK, 2 % sucrose and 0.5 % JIK and 4 % sucrose and 0.5 % JIK, 2 % fructose and 2 % glucose. The use of commercially available solutions should be used with caution. Florets produced a climacteric-like CO2 peak, but levels of ethylene were unmeasurable. Cold storage and the use of polypropylene sleeves delays senescence. G. scabridus spikes secrete droplets of a sticky substance which was confirmed to be extra floral nectar through HPLC analysis. Market research revealed a positive response to the species from consumers and retailers alike with potential for cultivation as a cut flower and bedding plant. However, the cost will determine supply and demand. A field study conducted at Bivane Dam, northern KwaZulu-Natal, confirmed that G. scabridus colonies prevail in rocky, quartzite outcrops where they become wedged between the rocks. Plants were found at different stages of development with populations of not more than 108 plants per colony. Soil data of G. scabridus sites was compared to that of two sites nearby. It was found that G. scabridus soils are higher in phosphorus (P), zinc (Zn) and organic carbon. Leaf analysis confirmed that they have adapted their growth to low nutrient levels. The G. scabridus studies have clearly shown that the species can be successfully moved from a wild plant to a commercially viable one and in so doing its conservation status can also be improved.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

The potential for private sector healthcare business in Africa has been forecasted to reach $35 billion by 2016, with South Africa being regarded as the most industrially advanced country on the continent. South Africa’s entry to modern biotechnology is fairly recent, though, with companies in the private sector still in a developmental phase, and most having limited bioproduct ranges. While considerable research has been conducted in the past to attempt to define the biotechnology environment of South Africa, as yet, a concise overview is lacking. In particular, a synopsis of the biomedical or commercial health technology environment has not been forthcoming for entrepreneurs to refer to as a ‘roadmap’. The purpose of this study was to perform a comprehensive study on the attributes that should be met for a successful, sustainable health technology venture (HTV) to be started in South Africa; while identifying the opportunities and threats that have existed in the South African market; thereby, affecting their success and sustainability to date. In this study, two phases of research were conducted. The first was a small-sampled mixed-methods (both qualitative and quantitative) study involving 21 medical devices, biogenerics, diagnostics, and contract services companies. The second was a quantitative study, involving 107 vaccines, biogenerics, therapeutics, nutraceuticals, reagents, diagnostics, medical devices, biotools, contract services and public services companies. Inferential statistical tests were conducted on the data, including Pearson’s Chi-Square, ANOVA, bivariate correlation, linear regression, logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression. From the study, the overall proportion of business sustainability for HTVs was found to be 66.7%, and at least 30% were unsustainable (or not yet at a level of sustainability). Variations were observed in the overall rate of sustainability for companies, based on their core functional classification, location, production type, size and start-up or R&D spending. By converting the observed frequencies of activity level, as an indication of sustainability, into a probability, it was possible to observe the company type that was most, and least likely to succeed in South Africa. Based on the statistical observations in this study, the HTV type most likely to succeed in South Africa, with a 63.7% probability of reaching sustainability, is a ‘vaccines’, ‘biotools’ or ‘public services’ company from Johannesburg with at least 20 employees; that has developed its goods or services internally, but manufactured externally and spent between R20 million–and–R30 million on its R&D or start-up. Conversely, least likely to succeed (3.2% probability) is a nutraceutical company from Cape Town with between six and 20 employees, that has developed and produced internally, and which has spent between R1 million–and–R10million on its start-up.
Life and Consumer Sciences
M.Sc (Life Sciences)

In today's knowledge-based society academic spin-offs are considered as one important form of technology transfer. However, most related entrepreneurial efforts fail. When looking at determining factors, researchers have to be regarded as members of a complex social network consisting not only of academic peers but also of participants from industry, policy, and supporting institutions, and friends and family members. This network is the academic entrepreneur's general framework of operation characterized by resource and communication flows of differing nature. The thesis tries to answer the question under what conditions technological spin-offs emerge from the academic community with special emphasis on the entrepreneurs' social capital expressed in terms of their social networks. Thus, a detailed analysis of the characteristics of the social network academic entrepreneurs operate in at the different stages of the spin-off process is effected. By means of social network analysis effected by a survey among Austrian academic entrepreneurs, it is examined which network structures favor the recognition of entrepreneurial opportunities and their realization in the form of a spin-off company. Thus generated insights are intended to contribute to nascent academic entrepreneurs' awareness how to optimally use their social contacts and networks in setting up their new ventures. Moreover, the work intends to provide valuable insights for political decision-makers as to the provision of necessary framework conditions supporting respective social dynamics required for the creation of innovative knowledge- und technology-intensive companies in Austria. (author's abstract)

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2015): Usability und User Experience Das Forschungsinformationssystem (FIS) an der TU Dresden Mit PUMa aud dem Sprung S. 5 OPAL: Aber bitte recht benutzerfreundlich! S. 6/7 In die digitale Gründerwerkstatt geschaut ... S. 13

This study analysed the entrepreneurial intentions of academic researchers to create spinoffs in a country where the phenomenon of academic spinoffs is emerging. The study consisted of a quantitative analysis of entrepreneurial intentions, performed within the context of South Africa’s Higher Education Institutions and Science Councils.The study drew from psychological and entrepreneurship research on intentionality to measure the level of entrepreneurial intentions using specific determinants (entrepreneurial self-efficacy, personal networks, perceived role models, number of years spent at the academic institution, number of patents/ copyrights/ designs, type of research, and cooperation with industry) that characterise the emergence of academic entrepreneurial intentions that lead academics to the creation of spinoffs. The study also aimed to determine if there were differences in the entrepreneurial intentions between researchers in technical and non-technical fields of expertise.A quantitative online survey was conducted amongst researchers in higher education institutions and science councils, followed by data analysis using a multiple linear regression to measure the entrepreneurial intentions. Thereafter a determination of factors associated with the higher levels of intention and a comparison of the level of intentions was conducted between researchers from the two study groups using an analysis of coefficients and significance tests respectively.The study showed that the entrepreneurial intentions of researchers in South Africa were very low. It was also shown that entrepreneurial self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of academic entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore it was found that there was no significant difference in the entrepreneurial intentions between researchers in technical and non technical fields of expertise.
Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
unrestricted

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2011): Energieeffizienz sichert Zukunftsfähigkeit Plattformen fördern Synergien S. 4, 5, 13, 16/17, 18, 22 Mobilität von morgen S. 3, 12, 23 Konzepte: vom Gebäude bis zur Gemeinde S. 6, 8, 9, 10, 19, 20/21, 23 Im Trend: cool, nano, smart S. 7, 11, 14/15:Innovation braucht Transfer S.2 Kompetenzzentrum Elektromobilität – Dresden fährt in die Zukunft S. 3 Das Dresdner Innovationszentrum Energieeffizienz DIZEeff S. 4 Kooperation auf dem Gebiet der Photovoltaik S. 5 Beitrag der Gemeinde Göda zum „Wettbewerb Energieeffiziente Stadt” S. 6 Die Sonnenenergie noch effizienter nutzen S. 7 Energetisch optimierte integrale Planung und Begleitung denkmalgeschützter Nachkriegsbauten S. 8 Gebäude- und elektrische Systemintegration von Photovoltaikmodulen S. 9 Beurteilung von Energieeffizienzmaßnahmen an denkmalgeschützten Wohnbauten in Sachsen S. 10 Sächsische Unternehmen und Forscher bremsen den steigenden Energieverbrauch von IT-Systemen S. 11 Das produktionstechnische Demonstrationszentrum für Lithium-Ionen-Zellen S. 12 Netzintegration von Erneuerbaren Energien S.13 Intelligente Netze klug in Industrie und Forschung verknüpfen S. 14/15 Interdisziplinäres Forschungsprojekt für die energieeffiziente Fertigung von Leichtbauteilen S. 16/17 Sachsen als Standort für Brennstoffzellen-Kompetenz etabliert S. 18 Optimierte Lösungen für Energiespeicher in Gebäuden S. 19 Energiemanagement in Gebäuden mit SAUTER EMS S. 20/21 Erneuerbare Energien und Energieeffizienz-Themen von europäischer Dimension S. 22

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2003): Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik Photonik / Mikrosystemtechnik S. 4-6 Datensimulation / Datenmanagement S. 7-9, 13-14, 18, 21 Elektronische Sprachverarbeitung S. 10, 20 Wissenschaftliche Dienstleistungen S. 12, 15, 22 Kooperation in Netzwerken S. 16-17

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2005): Energietechnik Power maßgeschneidert: Die Brennstoffzelle S. 9, 10, 11, 13 Bio, Geo, Solar – Erneuerbare auf dem Vormarsch S. 4, 6, 17, 18 Kyoto lebt – Von CO2-frei bis Supra S. 5, 8, 12 Die Zukunft gehört der Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung S. 7, 14 Schutzrechte und innovative Dienstleistungen aus Sachsen S. 15, 16:DREWAG-Stiftungslehrstuhl an der TU Dresden nimmt die Arbeit auf S. 3 Schutzschichten zur Verkapselung funktioneller Bauelemente S. 4 Oxyfuel-Kraftwerksprozess mit CO2-Abscheidung für emissionsfreie Braunkohleverstromung S. 5 Entwickelt und erprobt: Die Kleindampfturbine mit mechatronischer Netz-Kopplung S. 6 DREGID – Hocheffizienter Gasturbinenprozess mit integriertem Dampfprozess (GiD) S. 7 Kapillaraktive Innendämmung von Gebäuden mit erhaltenswerten Fassaden S. 8 PEM-Brennstoffzelle Sachsen S. 9 Brennstoffzellenkomponenten Made in Germany S. 10 Brennstoffzellen-Mini-BHKW für die dezentrale Energieversorgung S. 11 SupraTrans – supraleitend gelagerte s System für Transport und Beförderung S. 12 Eine Heizung, die aus Erdgas Strom erzeugt – Entwicklung bei Dresdner High-Tech-Unternehmen S. 13 Anlagen für Kraft-Wärme-Kälte-Kopplung S. 14 Schutzrechte und Innovationen aus Sachsen S. 15 Lösungsansätze zur Verbesserung der Elektroqualität S. 16 Die leXsolar GmbH auf dem Weg zum Marktführer von Lehrmitteln für Solarenergie S. 17 Geothermie – Heizung und Klimatisierung aus Bohrungen S. 18

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2007): Umwelt und Verfahrenstechnik Produkte, Energie, Prozesse: Alternativen auf der Spur S. 4, 6, 10, 11, 12 Sensoren: Prüfen und Steuern in neuer Qualität S. 7, 8, 13 Umweltfeeling für alle Lebensbereiche S. 9 Für die Natur – Recycling kontaminierter Stoffe S. 5, 14, 15:Erneuerbare Energien und Energieeffizienz zum Schutz und zur Erhaltung der Umwelt S. 3 Flüssigkeitsturbine in modularer Bauweise für eine geothermale Elektroenergie-Erzeugungsanlage S. 4 Kernenergietechniker arbeiten am Laserabtrag mit gleichzeitiger Abproduktkonditionierung S. 5 Verbesserung von Entschwefelungsverfahren in landwirtschaftlichen Biogasanlagen S. 6 Neue, effiziente Steuerungskonzepte für biotechnologische Prozesse S. 7 Flüssigkeitssensorik mit Hydrogelen S. 8 Umweltmanagement durchdringt alle Bereiche des universitären Lebens S. 9 Kartoffelstärke statt Erdöl S. 10 Vorstellung der Holzvergasungstechnologie zur Stromerzeugung S. 11 Ölfreie Getriebeschmierung mit Polytetrafluorethylen-Festschmierstoffen (PTFE) S. 12 Identifikation von Nahtsteifigkeiten S. 13 Die DAS-Technologie – Luft und Wasser nach Bedarf effizient säubern S. 14-15

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2010): Sensorik – Der Schlüssel zu Ihrem Erfolg Auf das Material kommt es an S. 4, 12/13, 17 Von Infrarot bis Ultraschall S. 5, 10, 11, 16 Neue Dimensionen erobern S. 6, 7, 8/9, 14/15 Patente Lösungen vermarkten S. 18/19, 20, 21, 22/23:Schlüsseltechnologie für Luftfahrt, Automobilbau, Energietechnik und Lebenswissenschaften S. 3 Variable Sensormaterialien für Ultraschallsensoren bis 20 MHz S. 4 VIONA – Ein veterinäres infrarotbasiertes Online-Analyse-System S. 5 ... intelligente Sensoren mit integrierter optischer Bildverarbeitung S. 6 Drahtlose Sensoren für die Strukturüberwachung S. 7 Hydrogelsensoren zur Prozessüberwachung S. 8/9 Neuartige pyroelektrische Infrarotsensoren für PIR-Melder S. 10 Hochaufgelöste Formmessung von schnell rotierenden Körpern S. 11 Molecular Designed Biological Coating – Intelligente Beschichtungen S. 12/13 Schwingungserreger für sehr hohe Beschleunigungen S. 14/15 Partikelgrößenmonitoring in hoch konzentrierten Dispersionen S. 16 Grenzschichtsensor zur Strukturüberwachung von faserverstärkten Verbundwerkstoffen S. 17 Erfolgreiche europäische Kooperation mit Unterstützung durch das Enterprise Europe Network S. 18/19 Gemischströmungen zeitlich und räumlich hochaufgelöst dargestellt S. 20 Atemzug-genau und in-situ misst ein neuartiger Sensor den menschlichen Sauerstoffhaushalt S. 21 Optische Kohärenz-Tomographie – Sichere Diagnostik ohne Schnitt S. 22/23

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2006): Information und Kommunikation Kommunizieren – dabei die Sinne unterstützen S. 4, 11 Visualisieren und simulieren S. 5, 15 Web-basierte Anwendungen ... S. 9, 18 Prozesse und Produkte optimieren S. 6, 7, 10, 14, 16, 17 Daten analysieren, strukturieren und generieren S. 8, 12, 13:Dresden – „Stadt der Wissenschaft 2006“ S. 3 Synthetische Sprache für embedded systems S. 4 Echt-3D-Displays – eine neue Dimension der kartographischen Reliefdarstellung S. 5 Softwareagenten zur Fehlersuche in Echtzeitsteuerungen S. 6 Testbett für vernetzte Systeme der Raumautomation S. 7 Informations- und Kommunikationsprozesses S. 8 Kreativ forschen und entwickeln für Web, Multimedia und E-Learning S. 9 TU-Experten entwickeln mobile Computer am Bau S. 10 Mit den Augen kommunizieren S. 11 GignoMDA – Modellgetriebene Generierung komplexer Datenbankanwendungen S. 12 Kommunikative Aspekte bei F&E-Dienstleistungen S. 13 Produktkostenoptimierung „Neue Wege im Engineering” S. 14 Simulation und Visualisierung von Anlagen und Prozessen unter Einsatz virtueller Umgebungen S. 15 Schutzrechte und Innovationen aus Sachsen S. 16 Schutzrechte und Innovationen aus Sachsen S. 17 Moderne Kommunikation mit IP-Telefonie S. 18

Thema der Ausgabe 2(2004): Automatisierungstechnik Fertigung – wirtschaftlich, zukunftsfähig und flexibel S. 7, 12, 13, 14 Hören, sehen, fühlen: Sensoren können alles S. 8, 9, 10, 11 Lernen mit der Technik – Lernen von der Technik S. 3 Live: Messen, prüfen, reagieren S. 4, 5, 6 Patente gehören auch dazu S. 16:Industrielle Automatisierung – Erfolgreiche Problemlösungen aus Sachsen S. 2 ... E-Learning in der Produktions- und Automatisierungstechnik S. 3 Softwareagenten zur Fehlersuche in Echtzeitsteuerungen S. 4 Verteilte Automatisierungssysteme mit DIO S. 5 Automatisierter Prüfstand für tribologische Untersuchungen S. 6 Wirtschaftliche Automatisierung zur Fertigung kleiner Stückzahlen S. 7 Bildverarbeitung mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit – Automatisierungstechnik auf der Überholspur S. 8 Existenzgründer entwickeln Mess-System für südafrikanische Goldmine S. 9 Modulare Prozessanalysatoren für die UV/VIS-NIR und Raman-Spektroskopie S. 10 VISOEL – Innovative Bildverarbeitung aus Dresden S. 11 Faszination Automatisierungstechnik S. 12 Technologische Ausrüstungen für die Mehranlagen-Keramik-Technologie S. 13 Die hochdynamischen Bestückungssysteme für Kontakte S. 14

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2003): Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik Photonik / Mikrosystemtechnik S. 4-6 Datensimulation / Datenmanagement S. 7-9, 13-14, 18, 21 Elektronische Sprachverarbeitung S. 10, 20 Wissenschaftliche Dienstleistungen S. 12, 15, 22 Kooperation in Netzwerken S. 16-17:Seit 10 Jahren: Dresdner Transferbrief mit Impulsen für Sachsens Wirtschaft S. 3 Photonische Mikrosysteme – Innovationsstrategie des neuen Fraunhofer IPMS S. 4-5 Flachdisplays auf der Basis aufgedampfter organischer Leuchtdioden S. 6 Automatische Verkehrszustandsinformationen mit Live-Kamera Bildern S. 7 Datenschutzgerechtes Identitätsmanagement für das Internet S. 8 jExam – Ein online-Informationssystem unterstützt Studium und Lehre S. 9 Integration von Spracherkennung und Sprachsynthese S. 10 Vorsprung durch Wissen S. 12 Datenhighways entlasten künftig Straßen S. 13 M-NOR – DatenPuzzle macht Übertragung günstiger S. 14 Sachsens Ideen-Agentur zieht Bilanz S. 15 „SILICON SAXONY® e.V.“ steht für die ganze Region S. 16 Netzwerk “Photonik Dresden“ gestartet S. 17 ITI Systemsimulation – Softwaretechnologie für CAE S. 18 Open-EIS: Sicher in die Zukunft mit dem „Stahlbeton“ des Wissensmanagements S. 19 „Hallo Kaffeemaschine...“ „Bitte einen Espresso und einen Latte Macchiato“ S. 20 Total Fab Monitoring – ein Auge auf die Produktion S. 21 EU-Fördertöpfe auch für KMU erreichbar? S. 22

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2008): Information und Kommunikation Präsent auf der CeBIT 2008 S. 4, 6, 7, 9 Prozesse überwachen und optimieren S. 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 Sicher und erfolgreich kommunizieren S. 5, 11, 14 Netzwerke – effektiv gestaltet S. 6, 19, 20 Web-basierte Anwendungen ... S. 3, 4, 5, 18:Nutzen wir das Web der Chancen und gestalten es aktiv mit S. 3 Kreativ forschen und entwickeln für Web, Multimedia und E-Learning S. 4 Ein Anonymisierungsdienst zur unbeobachtbaren Kommunikation im WWW S. 5 CANDY – Computer Aided Network Design Utility S. 6 UseBPEL – Für die Prozesse der Zukunft S. 7 Autonomer Teleservice zur Langzeitüberwachung und Fehlerdiagnose von entfernten Automationsanlagen S. 8 Sickerwasserprognose und Optimierung von Rekultivierungsschichten S. 9 GWT-Leistungsangebot „Angewandte Informatik“ S. 10 G/On: Die größte Innovation für sicheres Remote Access seit VPN und Secure Token S. 11 Das NanoelektronikZentrumDresden S. 12-13 Interkulturelle Kommunikation + Marktinformation = Erfolg im Ausland S. 14 CAFM – Computer Aided Facility Management mit pit-FM S. 15 Werkzeuge und Methoden zur effizienten Nutzung von Multi-Core Architekturen S. 16 GoPubMed – die wissensbasierte Suchmaschine für den Life Science Bereich S. 17

Thema der Ausgabe 1(2012): Produktionsoptimierung – fit für die Zukunft Effektiv und optimiert: Produkte und Verfahren S. 6, 7, 8, 12, 19 Vernetzt agieren und nachhaltig wirtschaften S. 4, 5, 10, 13, 14/15 Neue Konzepte für Fertigung und Logistik S. 9, 11, 16, 18 Auf dem Weg nach Europa S. 17:Produktionsprozesse effizienter machen – Kommunikation optimieren S. 3 Wegweiser für systematisches Wissensmanagement in kleinen Unternehmen S. 4 3D-Umformung von Naturfaserstoffen als Basis für nachhaltige Verpackungen S. 5 Simulation Aided Manufacturing S. 6 Optimierung von Hartstoff-Schichtsystemen durch Zerspantests S. 7 Reduzierte Durchlaufzeiten durch Überlappung von Fertigungsaufträgen S. 8 Ersatz von Thermoelementen durch Pyrometer in der Glasherstellung S. 9 Symate GmbH bietet Prozessoptimierung mit neuartigem Technologiedatenmanagement-System S. 10 Mikroreaktionstechnik-Labor eröffnet neue Wege zur Prozessführung von Mehrphasenreaktionen S. 11 Optimierung mit APC – Advanced Process Control für Beschichtungsprozesse S. 12 Die Arbeitsmedizin soll die Gesundheit und das Bewusstsein dafür stärken S. 13 Neuartiges Konzept für die Fertigungssteuerung hebt Potenziale in KMU S. 14/15 3D-Digitalisieren, Datenaufbereitung, Konstruktion und Fertigung von Werkzeugen S. 16 Endspurt im 7. Forschungsrahmenprogramm der EU S. 17 Reduzierung des Logistikaufwandes in der Serienfertigung S. 18 Materialanalyse mit speziellem Werkzeug: Die Röntgen-Mikrotomographie S. 19

Thema der Ausgabe 4(2009): Medizintechnik – Kompetenzen & Innovationen für die Zukunft Patente Ideen für die optimierte Therapie S. 7, 8, 9 Bildgebende Verfahren und Sensorik S. 6, 10, 15, 18, 19 Biokompatible Werkstoffe S. 11, 12, 13, 23 Interdisziplinäre Netzwerke und ihre Kompetenzen S. 4/5, 14, 16, 17, 20/21:Dresdner Biomedizin: Yes we can! S. 3 Regenerative Therapien – ein Projekt mit Dresdner Kompetenz für die Medizin der Zukunft S. 4/5 Sensor-Monitoring-Modul zur Überwachung der Lärmbelastung bei Schädeloperationen S. 6 Innovatives automatisches Injektionsgerät für Insulin S. 7 Schluss mit der Monotonie: Variable Beatmung S. 8 Der Dresden Distraktor – eine innovative Apparatur zur Behandlung des oberen Schmalkiefers S. 9 Intraoperatives funktionelles Imaging des Gehirns S. 10 Biokorrodierbare Metallschäume S. 11 Bioabbaubare Polymere in textiler Form für die regenerative Medizin S. 12 Glas-Silizium-Verbundsysteme für Lab-on-a-Chip-Anwendungen S. 13 Ihr virtueller Assistent und individueller persönlicher Helfer S. 14 Schlagende Herzen und rasante Strömungen S. 15 Netzwerkarbeit für die Physiotherapie S. 16 Innovative NIR-Spektroskopie für die Prozessanalytik S. 18 Entwicklung eines kompakten faseroptischen Sensors für biomolekulare Analyten S. 19 Technik und Design verbinden sich auch im OP-Saal zur optimalen Funktion S. 20/21

During the last two decades, there have been a number of policy and legislative changes in respect of South Africa’s intellectual property (IP) and the national system of innovation (NSI). In 2012, a Ministerial Review of the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) landscape in South Africa made recommendations to improve the STI landscape and effectively the national system of innovation. The study provides a critical review of drafts of the national IP policy published in 2013 as well as the IP Framework released in 2016 for public comment. The review of the IP and the NSI are within the context of the National Development Plan (NDP), which outlines South Africa’s desired developmental goals. South Africa is part of the BRICS group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The South African economy is characterised by a desire to move away from being dependent on resources and commodities, to becoming a more knowledge based and innovation driven economy. It is hoped that such a move would assist the country to address some of the social and economic development challenges facing South Africa, as captured in the NDP. South Africa has a functioning IP system, but its relationship with South Africa’s development trajectory is not established. More particularly, the extent to which the IP system relates to the innovation system and how these two systems must be aligned to enable South Africa to transition successfully from a country based on the production of primary resources and associated commodity-based industries to a viable knowledge-based economy is unclear. The Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) provides that IP must contribute to innovation and to transfer of technology and knowledge in a manner that is conducive to social and economic welfare. Certain provisions set out the foundations of intellectual property systems within the context of each member state. This study has thus explored the complex, complementary and sometimes contested relationships between IP and innovation, with particular emphasis on the potential of an intellectual property system to stimulate innovation and foster social and economic development. The study has also analysed the interconnectivity of IP and innovation with other WTO legal instruments, taking into account South Africa’s positioning within the globalised economy and in particular the BRICS group of countries. The research involved a critical review of South Africa’s IP and innovation policies, as well as relevant legislation, instruments, infrastructure, IP and innovation landscape, and relationship with international WTO legal instruments, in addition to its performance, given the developmental priorities and the globalised economy. The research documents patenting trends by South Africans using European Patent Office (EPO), Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), United States Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) databases over the period 1996-2015. A comparative analysis of patenting trends amongst BRICS group of countries has also been documented. The study also documents new findings, observations and insights regarding South Africa’s IP and innovation systems. Some of these, particularly in relation to higher education and research institutions, are directly attributable to the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act. More particularly, the public institutions are becoming relevant players in the NSI and are responsible for growth of certain technology clusters, in particular, biotechnology. At the same time, the study makes findings of a decline of private sector participation in patenting as well as R&D investment over the 20-year period. Recommendations are included regarding specific interventions to ensure coherence between the IP and innovation systems. Such coherence and alignment should strengthen the systems’ ability to stimulate innovation and foster inclusive development and competitiveness, which are relevant for addressing South Africa’s socio-economic development priorities.
Mercantile Law
LL. D.