The Disclosure and Licensing of University Inventions

University technology transfer offices (TTOs), whichfacilitate and manage the disclosure and licensing of inventions withcommercial potential, must balance the objectives of the university that ownsthe inventions and those of the faculty who create them.A theoreticalmodel of disclosure and licensing allows examination of this balancing act andits effect on whether inventions are disclosed by faculty, and if so,when.In the model, the faculty is figured as an agent of theadministration and the TTO as an agent of both the faculty and theadministration. Results from a survey of the TTOs of 62 U.S. research universities served asan empirical test of the model.These tests provided support for the dualagency view that TTOs measure their own success based on their perceptions ofboth faculty and central administration objectives.Analysis of the modelyielded predictions for contract terms and for the stage of development ofinventions disclosed. It also revealed much about the relationship betweenfaculty quality and the portion of inventions disclosed at differentstages.The share of royalty income allotted to inventors was lower foruniversities with higher quality faculty.(SAA)