Martina Pasquini

What Determines University Patent Commercialization? Empirical Evidence on the Role of IPR Ownership

This paper addresses the commercialization of academic patents, developed in both universities and public research organizations (PROs). We distinguish between university-owned and university-invented patents to analyze if and how patent ownership affects the probability of commercialization and, similarly, if the characteristics of national university intellectual property right (IPR) regimes correlate with it. We study three commercialization channels—sales, licensing and spin-off formation—appearing in a sample of 858 university and PRO patents filed with the European Patent Office between 2003 and 2005 across 22 countries. To analyze differences in commercialization outcomes, this study employs a multivariate probit model. The results suggest that PRO ownership is negatively associated with the likelihood of selling the patent and creating an academic spin-off; university ownership positively affects the patents licensing uses. Finally, the institutional IPR regime has a negative effect on the probability of selling a patent.

Le B Corporation e le strategie delle aziende ibride. Quando la profittabilità incontra la sostenibilità

EnglishRecently, strategic management studies have increasingly focused their attention on companies pursuing both economic and social actions: the so-called «hybrid» companies. These hybrids show a mission aimed at bridging an economic competitive advantage with a non-profit social goal. This dual logic characterizes the B Corporations, a new legal form of companies that has been spreading since 2007 starting from the United States. B Corporations also have a legal social status; in their mission, they identify a social objective for which they are both socially and legally responsible. This paper discusses B Corporations’ strengths and weaknesses and provides some strategic recommendations. italianoLa letteratura strategica si e interessata in maniera crescente alle imprese che si rivolgono sia alla dimensione profittuale sia a quella sociale, definite «aziende ibride» per indicare che la loro missione e un mix indissolubile tra la ricerca di un vantaggio competitivo e un fine sociale non-profit. Questo connubio trova il suo compimento in una nuova forma legale societaria che si sta diffondendo negli Stati Uniti dal 2007: le B Corporation, che hanno per statuto entrambi gli obiettivi e che sono certificate nelle loro azioni sociali. L’articolo analizza i punti di forza e debolezza delle B Corporation e presenta raccomandazioni di natura strategica.

From The Lab To The Stock Market? An Analysis Of University-Oriented Seed Funds In Europe

This work investigates the role of university and PRO-oriented seed funds (i.e. USFs), namely VC funds with an explicit mission to make investments in academic spin-offs, as instruments to address ...