Universities’ Performance in Knowledge Transfer: An Analysis of the Ibero-American Region Over the Golden Decade

Abstract

Universities play a crucial role in the systems of innovation by transferring the results of R&D activities to society and industry. This contribution is even more important in the Ibero-American countries given that the other critical ‘player’ (i.e., the industry) exercises a less active role in the development of innovation compared to the OECD countries. The aim of this paper is to analyze the knowledge transfer activities of the Ibero-American Higher Education Systems over the period 2000-2010. Using that database by Barro (2015), this study provides an accurate diagnosis of the Ibero-American universities’ performance in knowledge transfer, suggesting a number of practical implications for university decision-makers