Bridging the gap from research-to-high-technology ventures with experienced entrepreneurs

The paper explores an alternative approach to the traditional transfer of university research output. This approach proposes a systematic search and matching of external experienced entrepreneurs with university researchers to stimulate spinning out university-developed technology. ‘Bridging the gap’ (BtG) is a model for combining the experiences, market insight and network connections of experienced entrepreneurs and the technical knowledge and capabilities of university researchers to create a stronger basis for spin-outs. Inserting market knowledge and competences in the research domain of scientists optimises the selection of technology applications, which accelerates the spin-out process and generally strengthens the prospects for the emerging firm to achieve and sustain growth. Application of the model in two departments at the Technical University of Denmark provides empirical evidence for its usefulness.