Exclusive licensing of university technology: The effects of university prestige, technology transfer offices, and academy-industry collaboration

Exclusivity is a key concern when designing licensing contract, yet the organizational factors that influence exclusive provision of university licenses remain underexplored. This study provides deeper understanding this question by developing balanced framework considers both licensors (universities) and licensees (companies) in deals. Furthermore, we posit prestige affects university's ability to conduct non-exclusive firm's incentive obtain an license, thereby shaping their joint willingness license (non-)exclusively. We also examine how technology transfer office (TTO) experience prior collaboration between firm moderate relationship. To test hypotheses, use dataset consisting 6653 licensed patents owned 117 representative Chinese universities. find inverted U-shaped relationship exists likelihood two parties choose licensing. Moreover, moderating effect TTO partially supported while fully supported. Our findings generate important implications for relative social impacts inventions as well management