The effect of university- industry linkage on technology transfer: The role of human capital and institutional barriers

While Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are expected to transform their scientific innovation towards developing human capital (HC) and diffuse technologies to businesses, this is not the case in many developing countries’ small business sector. The aim of this study was to test the influence of academia-industry linkage (AIL) on technology transfer (TT) through HC as well as the related institutional barriers (IB). Data were collected using a questionnaire from 245 small manufacturing enterprises in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A quantitative approach with descriptive and explanatory research designs were employed. The study findings show that AIL can affect TT both directly and indirectly through HC. IBs were found to not significantly moderate the effect of AIL on TT, while it conditionally moderates the relationship. Given these findings, future researchers are expected to test the role of other variables such as environmental barriers and institutional factors on TT.