Micro-Level Analysis of the Determinants of Patenting Behavior of Academic Scientists and Engineers in the United States

Minimal systematic empirical research has been conducted at the individual-level to investigate determinants of patenting behavior of academic scientists. We develop and test a model that predicts how individual characteristics (tenure, scientific excellence, and perceived compatibility between open science and intellectual property protection) and organizational factors (university royalty policy, departmental patent culture, and TTO professionalism, activeness, and profit drive) affect individual patenting activity (discrete indicator of having a patent and count of university patents). Data from a national survey of 1,457 U.S.-based university scientists, of which 995 are patenters, are used in logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models. Findings from this research generally support our hypotheses that individual and organizational factors are associated with individual patenting activity. This research points to ways in which universities and policy makers can address propensity to patent through application of appropriate incentives and reduction of organizational barriers