Impact of National Science and Technology (S&T) Policy Framework on Technology Transfer from Indian Academic Research Institutions

Abstract

India’s evolving Science & Technology (S&T) and industrial policies have aimed to transform academic research into commercially viable technologies, yet their cumulative impact on university technology transfer remains underexplored. This study bridges the knowledge gap by systematically reviewing S&T and industrial policy milestones from 2013 to 2023 and combining this review with survey data from 289 Academic Research Institutions (ARIs), for understanding the influences of key interventions such as IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) reforms, the Startup India campaign, and the Atal Innovation Mission on institutional IPR practices, licensing activities, and spin-off incubation. Survey findings revealed that 57.6% of ARIs file five to ten patent applications annually, while 56.9% maintain dedicated technology-transfer teams of five to ten staff. Although 82.1% of institutions commercialized fewer than five technologies each year, 49.7% supported up to ten spin-offs or start-ups. Revenue from technology transfers ranged between ₹100,000 and ₹500,000 for 51.4% of respondents, and 30% identified funding support as the most critical enabler of commercialization. Further, linear regression analyses were conducted for universities of types - central, deemed-to-be universities, those of national importance, private, and state universities. A high R² is seen for institutions of national importance, evidencing their greater capacity to leverage policy measures. Our results demonstrate that stronger policy-industry linkages, targeted funding, and capacity-building efforts have significantly strengthened India’s academic entrepreneurship ecosystem in consistent with the institution’s innovation culture assessed as per NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework).