Transfer and commercialization of technologies from universities to small companies in South Africa

Abstract : World-wide many universities have a significant role in the socio-economic development of their countries and regions. One avenue for universities to achieve this role is through the transfer and commercialization of their technologies to resourceconstrained small, medium enterprises (SMEs). A surveybased study was conducted to establish the factors that enable and restrain the transfer and commercialization of technology from South African publicly-funded universities (transferor) to SMEs (transferee), as well as to recommend how the restraining factors could be addressed. The sample consisted of researchers and technology managers drawn from entrepreneurs and six Gauteng universities. Respondents rated each of the ten literaturederived enabling factors and ten literature- derived restraining factors to technology transfer and commercialization from universities to SMEs. Results show the top two enabling factors to be absorptive capacity of the transferee; and transferor’s attitude towards TT and commercialization. The top two restraining factors are university bureaucracy and the university performance evaluation system. Measures to deal with the top four restraining factors are suggested and useful insights are provided by the research findings