From Idea to Impact: IP Management and Application — Problems and Causes of Technology Transfer in Chinese Universities

Abstract

Chinese universities have been the major suppliers of scientific and technological innovation, but the inadequate management and application of intellectual property has received heavy criticism in China. The criticism is usually expressed in the following arguments: scientific research is not application-oriented, researchers selectively disclose scientific research results, intellectual property management is based on the “stamp-style” administrative management, there is no special technology transfer institution and there is a shortage of high-leveled and versatile talents. These problems have hindered the application of scientific and technological achievements in Chinese universities, and resulted in the waste of innovative resources. However, it has been controversial about the causes of the problems. This paper shows that the main causes for the unsatisfactory situation of technology transfer in Chinese colleges and universities are as follows: the current university evaluation system, which is the driving force for the selection of scientific research direction, puts little weight on practical application, some high-quality scientific research achievements are far from maturing into high-value patents, there is no structured intellectual property management system, and the institutional setup and staffing for technology transfer are not appropriate.

Keywords: innovation; intellectual property; technology transfer