Assessing and Managing the University Technology Business Incubator: an Integrative Framework

This article provides a conceptual framework for assessing and managing the EXECUTIVE university technology business incubator (UTBI) as a tool )or new venture S U M M A R Y creation. It is widely believed that UTBIs contribute to the nurturing of new technology-based firms (NTBFs). However, they have escaped systematic review in the United States due to a lack of historical data. To fill this gap, a new UTBl performance assessment framework is proposed, which is drawn from a combined survey of the existing body of knowledge in the areas of business incubation, the university's involvement in technology and business development support, and the commonly accepted approaches to organizational assessment that provide the necessary building blocks for the integrative framework. The proposed model is comprised of three performance dimensions: (1) program sustainability and growth; (2) tenant firm ' s survival and growth; and (3) contributions to the sponsoring university's mission. Further, the scope and effectiveness of the facility management policies, and the provision of services are assessed. The application of this framework is illustrated using four representative UTB1 cases selected from a fe ld of 3O five-year or older U.S.-based facilities and their 29 tenant firms out of the 84firms contacted )br the survey (35 %). A comparative review of these four cases reveals that the framework provides" a flexible methodology to assess the performance of UTBIs. The article concludes with a set of elements identified fi)r evaluating UTBIs under the aforementioned three performance dimensions providing measurement indicators. This" framework seeks to provide conceptual clarity for those responsible for assessing UTB1 performance, directing their operations, or endeavoring to create them. © 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.