Doctoral Dissertation Research in Science of Science and Innovation Policy: Organizations and the Diffusion of Scientific Knowledge

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The contribution of scientific research to economic growth is hardly controversial. Yet little is known about how scientific knowledge actually translates -- or fails to translate -- into economic gains. Historical examples of advances in science reveal that while some discoveries are commercialized right away, others remain unexploited for years, even decades, until their commercial potential is understood. Discerning why some discoveries get commercialized and others do not is very difficult, however, because the commercial value of the new knowledge cannot be ascertained unless commercialization actually occurs. Intellectual Merit: Do scientific discoveries have the same economic impact if they come from a university or from a firm? What are the characteristics of these academic or industrial organizations that would affect its impact in the marketplace? This project takes on the challenge of these questions by introducing a novel empirical strategy. It uses simultaneous discoveries to conduct the first "twin study of new knowledge." This method allows the researcher to compare the commercialization or non-commercialization of the same new knowledge emerging at the same time in two distinct environments. The project, which is divided into two parts, draws on interviews and archival data to study the overall patterns of how new knowledge is harnessed for commercial value and the mechanisms behind these patterns. It takes advantage of the applicant's original, pre-existing dataset of automatically and systematically identified simultaneous discoveries. Part I examines whether scientific findings are "trapped inside the ivory tower" i.e. whether they are less likely to be commercialized out of a university than out of a firm. Part II constructs a detailed analysis of a small number of cases of simultaneous discoveries. This allows for a more in-depth inquiry into how different types of organizational arrangements influence the prospects for commercialization. Broader Impacts: This research has immediate practical implications for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy as it will uncover the extent to which scientific knowledge that could be commercialized remains unused on laboratory shelves. Specifically, it increases our understanding of the role of different types of organizations in diffusing new knowledge. For instance, scientific collaboration, in addition to fostering the circulation of ideas, might increase the likelihood that new knowledge will be commercialized. There are immediate implications as to the conditions under which collaborative research ought to be supported. By encouraging organizational structures that foster the commercialization of scientific knowledge, SciSIP might be able to decrease the number of unused scientific discoveries. This interdisciplinary research is also of direct interest for economists, organization theorists, and sociologists of science given its insights into knowledge spillovers, the management of technological innovation, and competition in science. In addition, this research improves our understanding of strategies that business practitioners can implement in order to commercialize new scientific knowledge successfully. By investigating and breaking down exactly how organizations use and diffuse new scientific knowledge, this research enables a better management of knowledge commercialization, accelerating the spread of science into the economy, and increasing the economic impact of scientific research.