Chapter 13 Analysis of the Factors Leading to Success or Failure of Start-Up Companies in the Field of Micro- and Nanotechnology

In the UK there is now recognition that university research can be a valuable source of intellectual property (IP) on which new wealth-creating industries can be based. This recognition has led to a debate about, how best the IP can be developed, captured and transferred to the commercial world. The Lambert Report, published in December 2003 made many useful observations about the relative merits of licensing or spin-out models of technology commercialisation and the roles of university-based Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) in stimulating or supporting these processes (Lambert Review of Business-University Collaboration, 2003).