AUTM values scholarship on technology transfer and through the AUTM Graduate Student Literature Review Prize competition has been setting a positive tone among aspiring researchers on the importance of scholarship that informs practice. This past fall, the AUTM committee of scholars and TT practitioners responsible for running the prize competition received and evaluated a number of outstanding papers written by advanced graduate students from around the world. From among this array of impressive submissions, three were selected for recognition and presentation at the annual conference:
Jennifer Miller, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (overall winner)
Title: Universities, Industry, and Government in Collaboration: Review of the Literature on Research Centers
Jennifer’s outstanding paper focused on the literature regarding university research centers (URCs). URCs have been a helpful mechanism for stimulating collaborative relationships between university researchers and industry and that often lead to commercialization opportunities. She maps out the ways in which this has been true and how practitioners might use this research to inform their work and interactions with URCs.
Benjamin Spigel, University of Toronto (runner up)
Title: The Role of Local Geography in Encouraging University Knowledge Spillovers
Benjamin’s paper explored how spacial relationships at the boundary spanning level (universities and industry) and the within institution level (between units and even researchers) plays a role in the degree to which commercialization opportunities are stimulated. His literature review provided insights into ways in which technology transfer professionals might be advocates for physical space development. The paper also informs thinking around relational issues that can aid institutions to be more effective in building the collaborations needed for economic development and technology commercialization.
Alexandra Stone, University of Texas – Austin (runner up)
Implications of Organizational Learning and Innovation Strategies for Technology Transfer
Alexandra’s paper provided a nice review of the literature on learning theory and its implications for innovation stimulation. Her focus on such issues from primarily the firm perspective have the potential to be informative to university technology transfer practitioners seeking to be more strategic in marketing their portfolios.
We hope that you will consider attending the session where these emerging scholars will present their work: Track G9 on Saturday at 8:30am. We also desire your thoughts on how to engage scholars even more actively in work that benefits practice and hope you will feel free to share ideas on this blog.
Josh Powers, Chair
AUTM Literature Review Prize