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Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation in the Public Works ...

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This approach has <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g attributes:<br />

Value <strong>for</strong> capital <strong>for</strong>mation:High.<br />

Commercialization flexibility: Very high.<br />

Benefit to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution: Potentially very high.<br />

Benefit to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigator: Varies, but usually high.<br />

Adm<strong>in</strong>istrative burden: Extremely high.<br />

Institutional risk control: High.<br />

Institutional exposure to fiduciary liability: Very high.<br />

Institutional exposure to product liability: Very high.<br />

2. Commercialization through a related entity.<br />

As an alternative to directly engag<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> commercial activity, agencies <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>in</strong>stitutions have created related entities that assume <strong>the</strong> commercialization role. These<br />

entities are ei<strong>the</strong>r wholly or substantially owned by <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> net profits of <strong>the</strong><br />

subsidiary are returned to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution <strong>in</strong> , <strong>for</strong>m of dividends or limited partnership<br />

distributions. Related entities may be taxable or tax-exempt, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y may be corporations<br />

or partnerships.<br />

One key advantage of us<strong>in</strong>g a related entity <strong>for</strong> commercialization lies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> greatly<br />

enhanced flexibility that operat<strong>in</strong>g outside of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutional framework af<strong>for</strong>ds, an<br />

attribute that is particularly apparent among public <strong>in</strong>stitutions. Such an approach also<br />

allows <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution to better direct <strong>the</strong> flow of revenues <strong>and</strong>, if <strong>the</strong> structure is properly<br />

designed, to deflect risks from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution itself. The degree <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> effectiveness of<br />

<strong>the</strong> separation between <strong>the</strong> related entity <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution will dictate <strong>the</strong> extent to which<br />

<strong>the</strong> entity actually af<strong>for</strong>ds protection aga<strong>in</strong>st risk exposure.<br />

This approach has <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g attributes:<br />

Value <strong>for</strong> capital <strong>for</strong>mation: Very high.<br />

Commercialization flexibility: Very high.<br />

Benefit to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution: Very high.<br />

Benefit to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigator: Varies, but usually high.<br />

Adm<strong>in</strong>istrative burden: Low to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitution; very high to <strong>the</strong> related entity.<br />

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