Title: Screening for start-up potential in universities and research institutions - or how to map invisible innovation potentials

Authors: Fritjof Karnani; Reinhard Schulte

Addresses: Department of Entrepreneurship and Management, Hochschule Osnabrück, Kaiserstr. 10c, 49809 Lingen, Germany ' Department of Entrepreneurship, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Scharnhorststrasse 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany

Abstract: The discussion about spin-offs from the public research sector is generally limited to the case where findings of a research project are brought to market by scientists within the scope of a company start-up. This perception does not do justice to the start-up scene or the start-up potential of public research. The majority of scientific start-ups use knowledge beyond research findings, starting companies in the shadow of publications by academic institutions and drawing from the realm of tacit knowledge at universities. The method of cognitive mapping allows us to systematically access the tacit exploitation potentials of research institutions, which is the prerequisite for potential exploitation.

Keywords: university startups; entrepreneurship; spin-offs; technology transfer; knowledge management; tacit knowledge; startup screening; startup potential; startups; universities; research institutions; innovation potential; cognitive mapping.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2013.064171

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2013 Vol.12 No.1/2/3, pp.62 - 77

Received: 01 May 2013
Accepted: 18 Jun 2014
Published online: 10 Sep 2014 *

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