Promoting social entrepreneurship: Harnessing experiential learning with technology transfer to create knowledge based opportunities

Abstract

Technology Transfer has grown in importance as more university developed technology is reaching commercialization to the benefit of numerous stakeholders. However, 75% of university patents are never licensed for development. Often cited is the need for a product that will rapidly generate a positive cash flow. Universities have an additional opportunity. They can work to link experiential learning courses with their technology portfolios to conduct activities like prototyping, market research, and market testing and work with social entrepreneurs to help launch technologies that may prove to be both beneficial to society and to a commercial operation while educating students.