Two lines of research focus on the valorization of public research results, both in Italy and abroad. The first aims to monitor technology transfer (TT) from academia to industry, occurring in both Italy and Europe. The group investigates the TT models adopted by universities and other public research organizations (PROs) and their technology transfer offices (TTOs) for managing and supporting university patenting, licensing, spin-off processes, etc.

The second research topic is the evolution and current state of university spin-off processes in Italian and European universities. The research aims to identify the factors that determine both the initial growth of spin-off companies and the differences between universities in terms of spin-off productivity.

The ultimate goal of this research line is to explore the possible relationship between the growth of spin-off companies and the TT model adopted by the parent university, shedding light on the policy tools needed to improve TT performance in different contexts. Several surveys have been conducted, which will provide a longitudinal database for further research:

• A survey of Italian TTOs is conducted within NetVal (www.netval.it) (annual reports are produced);
• A similar survey is conducted within Proton (www.protoneurope.org);
• A database of all Italian academic spin-off companies has been compiled;
• A database of European patents held by Italian PROs is now complete.