Technology transfer as an enabler for the emergence of sustainable entrepreneurial universities

Sustainability is a prominent topic that practitioners, scholars, and society have discussed, requiring the engagement of a diversity of agents to happen effectively. In turn, universities, as recognized knowledge producers and crucial professional trainers, play a significant role in collaborating to solve socio and environmental issues. Yet, the process through which academic institutions combine technology transfer and sustainability remains largely uncharted by dedicated literature. Through analysis of patent portfolios, technological transfer agreements, and agents' perspectives, the article's main goal is to analyze the process of sustainability institutionalization in an entrepreneurial university, considering the role of technology development and transfer. From a single in-depth network analysis, secondary data, and qualitative case study at the University of Campinas, Brazil, our main outcomes indicate that it is necessary to integrate and coordinate strategies to conduct sustainable processes via technological transfer. The technological development of sustainable patents is mainly based on researchers' personal influence financed by public funding. Even with low levels of institutional engagement behind them, most licensing agreements from the University come from sustainable patents. The creation of institutional guidelines, coordination, and strategies to reinforce sustainable developments and partnerships can promote more sustainable technological development and technology transfer agreements.