Previous studies have identified the importance of entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems, however, few have considered in an integrated multi-level way, the key influencing factors on technology transfer mechanisms within these ecosystems. In particular, none have considered such factors from a technology transfer office (TTO) perspective. To address this gap, this research examines how macro–meso–micro factors shape the role of TTOs within an entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. Taking an in-depth exploratory approach set in the New Zealand context, data for this study was collected over two time periods, 4 years apart, and included inputs from all eight university TTO offices. Incorporating the perspective of TTO executives, our study unearths novel insights on a range of macro, meso and micro factors influencing their office, and how TTOs respond by synthesizing and balancing these factors across levels. The primary contribution of our research is extending the framing of TTO executives as typically portrayed in the literature, beyond important intermediaries between universities and industry, to pivotal cross-level brokers within entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems.

先前的研究已经确定了企业家和创新生态系统的重要性，但是很少有人以综合的多层次方式考虑这些生态系统中技术转让机制的关键影响因素。特别是，没有人从技术转让办公室（TTO）的角度考虑这些因素。为了解决这一差距，本研究研究了宏观-微观-微观因素如何塑造TTO在企业家和创新生态系统中的作用。采取在新西兰背景下进行的深入探索性方法，本研究的数据是在两个时间段（相距4年）中收集的，其中包括来自八个大学TTO办公室的投入。结合TTO高管的观点，我们的研究揭示了影响其办公室的一系列宏观，中观和微观因素的新颖见解，以及TTO如何通过综合和平衡这些因素来应对各个级别。我们研究的主要贡献是将文献中通常描述的TTO高管的框架扩展到大学和行业之间的重要中介之外，扩展到企业家和创新生态系统中的关键跨级别经纪人。