Knowledge Transfer offices (KTOs): Institutional Logics and Organisational Elements

Knowledge and technology transfer offices (KTOs) are hybrid organisations in that they are tasked with fulfilling multiple goals for the public research organisations (PROs) they serve. Traditionally, KTOs have focused on research commercialisation through licensing and spinout creation based on PRO-owned intellectual property (IP). Increasingly, however, KTOs are also expected to support broader societal value creation through collaborative, open, and multi-sectoral approaches in addition to IP-based commercialisation. We argue that these two roles represent different institutional logics, and that they can be difficult for KTOs to reconcile in practice. We also propose that KTOs’ ability to manage these multiple roles depends on their organisational design. We report the findings from a comparative, qualitative study of Norwegian and Danish KTOs, which examines how organisational design influences their responses to institutional complexity. We find that Norwegian KTOs are driven by an IP-centric commercial logic and struggle to adapt to the broadening role expected of them. In contrast, Danish KTOs balance commercial and societal benefit logics, but this dual focus results in conflicting goals and an unclear mandate. Our findings highlight that each organisational design has inherent strengths and weaknesses, shaping KTOs’ capacity to achieve their aims and create value.