Topic: Boundary Spanning Inventors and Firm Innovation: How Spillovers from Science are not Free

The paper studies the effect of “boundary spanning inventors” – inventors that cross organizational boundaries and bridge between scientific and technology communities – as a mechanism through which firms connect to and appropriate returns from science. We examine the case of IMEC, a world leading research institute in the area of nano-technology, with a mission to bridge the gap between fundamental research at universities and R&D in the industry. We find strong evidence that linking to IMEC has provided partner firms with tangible benefits such as more valuable technology outcomes that are developed faster by these partner firms. Boundary spanning inventors increase the chance of developing high quality technologies faster, but need to be embedded within a broader partner relationship for this network to produce tangible results.