Qualität sichern im Berufsbildungsexport: Berufsbildungsexport 2014

The continuous reduction in public funding across the entire science system, coupled with an increasingly competitive allocation of research funding via third-party funds, increases the acquisition pressure for all research institutions in Germany. These changes in the competitive environment are forcing research institutions to rethink their thinking towards greater economic exploitation of scientific results. The establishment of technology transfer offices is one of the ways in which research institutions are increasingly taking up the challenge of passing on knowledge and technologies to industry in a manner geared to commercialization (OECD 2013; Haeussler & Colyvas 2011; Hülsbeck, et al. 2013). The commercialization of knowledge and technologies takes place th rough various channels, such as licensing, spin-offs and consulting services. The selection of a suitable commercialization channel is crucial for the commercialization success. It requires a structured basis for decision-making. However, this decision has so far usually been made "from the gut" or purely based on individual experience and preferences of the people involved. In particular, the analysis of the literature on commercialization channels shows that no instrument that systematically supports decisions between the commercialization channels does not yet exist. This study addresses this gap and aims to develop a cross-industry decision-making tool to support the choice between different commercialization channels. A systematic and structured approach should help to support the ess ential individual decision-making processes and ensure that knowledge will optimally exploited. Hence, we examine the following research questions: 1. What are important factors that influence a decision for a certain commercialization channel? 2. What are the specific characteristics and (dis-)advantages of certain commercialisation channels? 3. Which patterns exist in the decision-making process?