On the Consequences of Patenting University Research: Lessons from a Survey of French Academic Inventors

This paper focuses on the consequences of patenting university research. It presents the results of a survey on 280 French academic inventors, that is, French university professors who are also designated as inventors in at least one European patent. This survey provides new insights into the effect of university patenting on the commercialization of university inventions, the transfer of scientific research, the incentives to do basic research and the access to upstream knowledge. In particular, the study suggests that patenting university research can, on the one hand, facilitate the transfer of technology from university to industry, especially in the fields of life sciences and pharmaceuticals. On the other hand, it almost systematically delays the publication of research findings, thus hindering the dissemination of scientific knowledge.