A glance at research-driven university's technology transfer office in the UAE

摘要

Technology transfer offices (TTOs) in research-driven universities serve as an intermediary between suppliers of innovations and those who can potentially commercialise them. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), TTOs are expected to take an important role in the evolution of successful spin-off companies from innovation to production to sales to sustainable profit. TTOs aim to help businesses to innovate and prosper leading to improving local and national economic prosperity. TTOs often support spin-off companies becoming a learning organisation and easing into an articulated management of activities complementary to the research and development activities that create the innovation and drive the transition from innovation to product lines. This paper aims to investigate the current situation of research-driven university's TTO in UAE using a case study of Etisalat BT Innovation Center at Khalifa University and Masdar Institute for university policy implications. The findings suggest that TTOs assist university researchers in many ways.