Technology transfer offices serve as important intermediaries between research and practical application. By identifying promising inventions, managing intellectual property (IP), facilitating licensing and spin-off creation, and connecting researchers with industry partners and investors, they help create pathways for scientific discoveries to generate economic and societal value.
Drawing on patent data, responses from 809 European TTOs and interviews with technology transfer professionals, the study highlights significant differences in institutional capacities. Around 90% of the offices surveyed are small or medium-sized, often operating with limited staff and resources. Larger TTOs generally benefit from greater specialist expertise, established processes and broader commercial networks, allowing them to manage higher volumes of technology transfer activities.
However, the findings reveal an important distinction: smaller TTOs are not necessarily less effective in progressing individual inventions towards patents, licences or new ventures. Once an invention enters the technology transfer pipeline, smaller offices demonstrate comparable capabilities in advancing it towards exploitation. The main differences concern the scale of activities and the resources available to support them.
This suggests that strengthening Europe's technology transfer ecosystem does not necessarily require every institution to develop all specialised capabilities internally. Instead, shared expertise, collaborative networks and access to complementary support services could help smaller offices overcome resource constraints while maintaining close relationships with researchers.
Such approaches could be particularly valuable for knowledge valorisation, where successful uptake often requires expertise extending beyond IP protection. Market assessment, business development, licensing negotiations, investment readiness and engagement with potential users all contribute to identifying suitable exploitation pathways. Regional, national and European networks can help connect TTOs with these capabilities and facilitate collaboration across institutions.
The study also highlights the growing importance of academic inventions within Europe's innovation landscape. The share of academic patents among European patent applications increased from approximately 5% in 2000 to 9% in 2020, approaching levels observed in the United States. At the same time, maintaining patent protection remains a challenge, with 40.7% of directly owned European academic patents lapsing within ten years, compared with 26.3% for academic patents from US universities.
These findings raise broader questions about how research institutions assess the commercial potential of their intellectual assets, allocate resources and determine appropriate protection and exploitation strategies. Effective technology transfer requires not only identifying and protecting inventions, but also ensuring that decisions about their future development are aligned with realistic opportunities for uptake.
The study therefore reinforces the importance of building stronger connections between TTOs, researchers, industry, investors and innovation intermediaries. Improving access to specialised knowledge and support structures could help institutions make more informed decisions, identify suitable partners and strengthen the conditions for research results to reach markets and society.
Further information: Read the full EPO study.