Commissioned by the ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ), researchers investigated the economic weight of fourteen universities and fifteen research institutes. The mainly looked at the number of 'spin-off' companies they generate. In the period investigated (1999-2001) Enschede produced on average twenty new businesses annually, with an overall university average of 6.4 and a research insitute average of 1.3.
Especially the so-called Twente TOP-regulation is lauded. These Temporary Enterpreneurial Places offer starting companies funds, knowledge, facilities and support from the UT for one year. The EZ-research, by the way, was conducted by Top Spin, a foundation with ties to the UT and closely involved in the TOP-regulation.
Striking is that the best performing universities in the investigation are outside the Randstad: Delft University is ranked fifth and is the highest ranked university from the West, following Maastricht, Eindhoven and Nijmegen. Tilburg and Nijenrode are bottom of the list: neither produced one single business.
Internationally the Netherlands is 'not at all front-runner' in commercialising knowledge through spin-offs, the researchers conclude. This could be related to the vague laws. Although these do not explicitly prohibit commercialising, they do not encourage it either. An adaptation to the laws in France in 1999 lead, according to the report, to a fivefold increase in the number of spin-offs.
The researchers therefore advocate a consistent encouragement policy: vagueness in the law concerning the room for commercial activities of knowledge institutes should disappear and the universities should get more money to pursue a spin-off policy actively.
