The Role of Market-Oriented University Governance in the Realization of the Functions of University Technology Transfer offices in Iranian Higher Education

University technology transfer offices (UTTOs) have received serious attention in recent years in many of the world's top universities due to the mediation approach of the academic and business environment, which is generally considered in the form of university internal structures. Research and experimental findings indicate a considerable distance from the effective role of UTTOs in the university entrepreneurship ecosystem. It seems that one of the most important reasons for this situation is the strategic mismatch of macro-structures in terms of university governance with the functions of these offices. Therefore, the main purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of market-oriented university governance on the optimal realization of the functions of UTTOs.

The current research employs a mixed exploratory-instrument development approach to investigate the effect of market-oriented university governance on the optimal realization of functions of UTTOs. Initially, the research focuses on identifying market-oriented governance indicators and the functions of UTTOs as two minor objectives. Through a review of the relevant literature and semi-structured interviews, a list of market-oriented university governance indicators was extracted by reaching theoretical saturation and synthesizing the findings of these two stages. Subsequently, in the quantitative phase of the research, the effect of these indicators on the functions of UTTOs were examined using enter regression analysis.

In order to identify market-oriented governance indicators, 50 indicators were identified and validated across four dimensions: contextual (6 indicators), financial (12 indicators), scientific (17 indicators), and organizational (15 indicators). Additionally, to achieve the functions of UTTOs, a list of 25 functions was developed based on document analysis, mission statements, and job descriptions of UTTOs, and more. These functions were categorized into five dimensions: contextual factors, scientific discovery and invention disclosure, evaluation and patent registration, marketing and licensing, and startup establishment. Regression analysis and its coefficients demonstrated that the contextual, financial, scientific, and organizational dimensions of university governance explain 0.226, 0.232, 0.198, and 0.143 of the variances of the functions of UTTOs respectively.
Discussion and

Based on the findings of the current research, it can be stated that paying attention to market-oriented governance indicators in Iranian higher education can have a positive effect on the optimal realization of the functions of UTTOs. In other words, the lack of an entrepreneurial approach (in practice) in university governance in Iran's higher education has resulted in a significant gap between optimal functions and actual performance of UTTOs. It seems that the findings and recommendations of this research can facilitate the optimal development of UTTOs functions.