The pursuit of knowledge transfer activities: An efficiency analysis of Spanish universities

This paper assesses university efficiency from a multidimensional perspective. First, the study scrutinizes universities using an efficiency measure that incorporates knowledge transfer outputs in the objective function. Second, a cluster analysis complements the efficiency model giving a more comprehensive image of universities' performance. The empirical application considers the Spanish higher education system during 2006–2009. The results point to the presence of heterogeneous orientations among Spanish universities and that universities integrate knowledge transfer in their operations at different intensities. The findings reveal that regional factors related to technological development and entrepreneurial culture strongly influence universities' efficiency and their involvement in knowledge transfer activities. As regards knowledge transfer across Spanish universities, results tend to give ammunition to the argument that effective support policies should have the capacity to be customized to fit the profile of the targeted universities and regions.