The Factors Influencing University-Driven Technology Transfer With SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review

Over the past 20 years, universities have become the major drivers to improve scientific research and socio-industrial development, while Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have become key players in regional GDP contribution and technological innovation. Despite extensive studies on university-industry collaboration (UIC), there is a gap in the research on the micro-framework of university-SME collaboration (USC). This study addresses this gap by focusing on the interaction between universities and SMEs, intending to provide a detailed understanding of the influencing factors between universities and SMEs. This study conducted a systematic literature review of articles on USC from 2010 to 2023 and explored the internal and external factors that influence the success of USC. In terms of influencing factor analysis, this study ultimately focused on four conceptual groups: University-SMEs relationship (USR), University innovation and cooperation management (UICM), Actors, resources and capabilities (ARC), and Innovative concepts and spirit (ICS). Simultaneously, sub-items were expanded based on the conceptual groups to derive an overall conceptual framework that outlines the influencing factors of USC. The findings are expected to significantly impact academic literature and management practices, offering insights to enhance university-driven technology transfer to SMEs.