Industrial funding and university technology transfer: the moderating role of intellectual property rights enforcement

Industrial funding eases the pressure on universities to raise research funding and actively contribute to university–industry (U–I) collaboration. However, whether industrial funding facilitates university technology transfer remains an open question, and we lack an understanding of the mechanisms that moderate this linkage. This study presents a framework and empirical analysis of the relationship between industrial funding and university technology transfer. Moreover, we examined the role of intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement in moderating the focal relationship. We constructed a unique database by linking university- and province-level data, applying negative binomial regression analysis, finding that higher industrial funding has a positive effect on the promotion of U–I technology transfer. Furthermore, the results show that IPR enforcement significantly moderates the focal relationship. Our study highlights the role of industrial funding and offers implications for policymakers focusing on strengthening IPR enforcement in developing countries.