Selected Aspects in The Creation of The University’s Knowledge Transfer Capacity

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the creation of university's potential for knowledge transfer to the business environment. The analysis will be presented in the system inspired by the model proposed by Tidd, Bessant and Pavitt [2005] which is as follows: (i) generating knowledge (ii) searching for and identifying knowledge, (iii) evaluating and selecting ides, (iv) implementing in practice. Each stage creates different challenges for the university's operations (also the final stage, which is not generally carried out by the university), which will be included in the analysis. The results of the theoretical analysis are referred to the results of the research concerning knowledge transfer practices among universities in Lodz. A total of thirty-five cases of knowledge transfer practices were included in the analysis. The analysis conducted in 2010 and 2011 covered types of practices, the initiative of carrying out practices, their duration, the nature of practices, their subject scope and impact as well as risks and benefits associated with implementing knowledge transfer practices. The preliminary exploration, interviews and innovation studies conducted indicate that the analysis covered a vast majority of such practices, which means that it is representative of the Lodz region.