ESTUDIO EXPLORATORIO DE LAS SPIN OFF DESDE LA PERSPECTIVA DE LOS GESTORES UNIVERSITARIOS

Research Centers and Universities are leaving their traditional role of being merefosters of knowledge, to become important agents of technology transfer to society through promotion and creation of Technology-based companies. These companies, known as Spin Off, arise idealy from that knowledge created inside the University. The present work is an exploratory study realized at four universitie son the subject of Technology Transfer at Spin Offs, from the perspective of University Managers. Information was gathered through semi-structured interviews to various researchers and managers that are involved in thecreation of businesses. Relevant data were obtained also from secondary sources for the analysis of factors that could affect the growth of these businesses. There sults show theexistence of common and stable factors involved in thecreation of spin offs: entrepreneurial culture, conflict of interest, dissolution contracts and royalties. Small but significant differences between universities were also found: creation of value, flexibility in the internal regulations and a shift from quantity to quality. These seems to be critical keys in the success of creating spin off samong the explored Universities.