KTT is already the ‘third mission’ of universities and public research organizations alongside teaching and research. But the current metrics system is fragmented: each country and survey uses different definitions, scopes, and emphases. Result: output indicators (e.g., patents) abound, and input indicators (resources, capabilities) and impact indicators (employment in spin-offs, social benefits, cultural changes) are scarce.
The Knowledge and Technology Transfer Metrics Report (2025) maps the European landscape (19 national compilations) and evidences these asymmetries, proposing recommendations so that we stop measuring only what is quantifiable and start quantifying what is valuable.
The Key Contribution of the Report: The KTT Metrics Cube
The report synthesizes previous frameworks (European Commission, ERAC, WIPO/OECD, JRC) and proposes the KTT Metrics Cube, a three-dimensional model that organizes measurement into:
- Activity (how knowledge is exchanged: research, professional training/education, commercialization),
- Value chain (inputs, outputs, impacts), and
- Location (internal/external to the institution).
This ‘triple view’ allows one to observe, for example, not only how many licenses are signed (output, internal-commercialization), but what capabilities enable it (inputs: KTO personnel and budget) and what effects it produces externally (impacts: employment, sales, or social benefits in licensed companies and spin-offs).
What We Measure Today (and What We Don’t): Findings from the European Mapping
- Predominance of outputs. Most countries collect commercialization indicators (invention disclosures, patent applications/grants, LOA agreements, IP revenue) and, in many cases, consulting and R&D contracts with third parties. Inputs and impacts are less systematic.
- Education underrepresented. Transfers via education—industrial doctorates, executive training—are barely tracked, despite their contribution to human capital and university-business links.
- Heterogeneous definitions. ‘Collaborative R&D’ vs. ‘Contract R&D’, consulting, MTAs/NDAs, or equipment use are defined and accounted for disparately, which prevents peer comparison and learning.
- KTO Resources are Hardly Comparable. KTO staffing, budgets, and service portfolios are measured with different scopes (e.g., whether or not they include salaries or external legal costs), which biases ratios and efficiency indicators.
Recommendations: from counting patents to managing systems
The report proposes five lines for harmonization:
- Standard definitions for core KTT indicators.
- Expanded channel coverage: in addition to IPR/licensing, include education, consulting, and early collaboration.
- Balance inputs-outputs-impacts.
- OECD/EU alignment for transnational comparability.
- Coordination of data among KTOs, universities/PROs (Public Research Organizations), and national bodies.
We also applaud a transversal idea in the report: metrics guide behavior. If we only measure what is patentable, we leave out high-value practices (co-design, training, useful open science) that build trust and accelerate adoption.
Beyond the Numbers: Towards a Culture of Impact
Measuring KTT isn’t an accounting exercise; it’s organizational design. Metrics must serve to learn and make decisions: where to invest, what capabilities to develop, what alliances to prioritize. Our practical proposal, aligned with the Cube:
- Inputs (internal/external).
- Internal: specialized FTE (Full-Time Equivalent), invention pipeline, early valorization capabilities, IP/POC (Proof of Concept) budget.
- External: regional technological intensity, sectoral demand, partner maturity.
- Outputs (by mission).
- Research: number and quality of contracts (defined with common criteria), time-to-contract.
- Education/CPD (Continuing Professional Development): industrial doctorates (in progress and completed), student-days, company satisfaction.
- Commercialization: active/effective LOAs (License Option Agreements), post-license engagement, software/data licensing.
- Impacts (internal/external).
- Internos: atracción de talento, cambios curriculares, publicaciones/protocolos derivados, cultura emprendedora.
- External: employment/sales in spin-offs/startups, technological adoption, social/environmental benefits measured with case studies and standardized qualitative evidence.
Management Keys:
- Unique operational definitions (living glossary) and homogeneous computation rules (signature date vs. start date, what is included/excluded in consulting/services).
- ‘3×3’ dashboards (Activity $\times$ Value Chain $\times$ Location) and quarterly reviews to learn, not just report.
Implications for Spain and Regional Ecosystems
Spain has a broad base of indicators (RedOTRI/Red OTC and SICTI surveys), with a historical focus on outputs and commercialization. The report suggests three concrete opportunities:
- Normalize definitions among OTRIs/KTOs for contracts (collaborative vs. contract), consulting, and technical services, and activate a homogeneous module for education/CPD (industrial PhD, executive training).
- Incorporate internal impacts (curricular changes, attraction of researchers with a translational profile) and external ones (adoption in companies, social case studies) with common templates endorsed by OECD/JRC.
- Read the territorial context: cross-reference KTO data with regional technological intensity and sectoral demand to prioritize portfolios (e.g., licenses vs. contract research based on key sectors).
For agencies and policymakers: align calls and scoreboards with the Cube to reward early collaboration, customized training, and adopted results, not just patents/grants.
Conclusion: A Compass to Guide
The KTT Metrics Cube is more than a framework; it is a management compass for moving from metrics that justify to metrics that guide decisions. If we measure better, we will learn faster what converts knowledge into shared value—and where we need to intervene as ecosystems. The question we leave on the table: the next time we measure transfer, will we dare to look at what is invisible too?
Sources: https://astp4kt.eu/resources/ktt-metrics-report-to-boost-harmonisation-across-europe-released.pdf
