Determinants, causal connections and outcomes of corporate technology licensing: a systematic review and research agenda

Abstract

Exchanges in markets for technology (MfT) have grown rapidly in recent years. MfT involve transactions for the use, diffusion and creation of technology. In this article, we conduct a systematic review of the emerging market for technology literature and examine one of its most important aspects, corporate technology licensing. Using thematic analysis, we systematically review 78 papers published in 29 journals over 30 years covering the academic disciplines of technology/knowledge management, strategic management, entrepreneurship, innovation management and industrial economics. Based on this analysis, we present an organizing framework for the most prominent determinants, causal connections and outcomes of technology licensing research to date and identify a research agenda highlighting important avenues for future research in this domain.

Corporate venture capital as a real option in the markets for technology

“…In the last few decades, we have witnessed two important trends. On one hand, MFT transactions have grown rapidly (e.g., Arora & Gambardella, ; Symeonidou & Bruneel, ). On the other hand, despite increasing company‐financed R&D expenditures, Arora, Belenzon, and Patacconi () document a shift away from science, as reflected by a decline over the last two decades in the number of scientific publications by company scientists.…”

Slow Magic: Agricultural Versus Industrial R&D Lag Models

“…Rao et al (2020) compiled 516 studies yielding 2,963 estimates of rates of return to agricultural R&D. Of these, 80% of the studies and 75% of the estimates refer to a government-type agricultural R&D performer; only 28% of the studies and 15% of the observations refer to individual projects.22 The development of many industrial technologies involves tangible and lengthy R&D processes, and some of the costs are either directly incurred by the firm or implicitly incurred by way of licensing technologies or acquiring firms (and their intellectual property portfolios) to ensure freedom to operate, leverage complementary assets, or gain other market advantages (see, e.g.,Teece 1986, Symeonidou & Bruneel 2017.…”