Knowledge Diffusion from Academia to Industry
基于制度理论，研究大学科研成果向产业专利知识扩散的速度和持续性，发现大学声誉和专利标准化加速扩散，但声誉不直接影响长期产业影响，而背景相似性和跨界活动反而减缓扩散并降低后续影响。
Abstract Universities and firms serve as key agents in the creation and transfer of knowledge, where universities primarily develop fundamental knowledge, which is later transferred across institutional boundaries and evolves into different forms for either scientific advancement or economic value creation. Although much research has examined technology transfer, the mechanisms influencing the speed and continuity of knowledge diffusion remain underexplored. Drawing upon institutional theory, this study investigates the speed and continuity of knowledge transfer from universities’ scientific outputs to patented technologies utilized by industry stakeholders. This paper disentangles the multi‐level and cross‐boundary dynamics of university–industry knowledge diffusion by examining the bridging role of science‐linked patents (SLPs). Based on a longitudinal analysis of scientometric data, we find that universities’ academic reputations and the standard shaping of SLPs accelerate the speed of knowledge diffusion. Interestingly, academic reputation does not directly influence the long‐term industrial impact of scientific knowledge. Additionally, contextual similarity between universities and patentees, as well as patents’ boundary‐spanning activities, are found to reduce the speed of knowledge diffusion and diminish the subsequent industrial impact of scientific knowledge. Our findings underscore that the early emergence of SLPs is critical to the impact of scientific discoveries on the trajectory of subsequent technological innovations.