If we don't empirically understand
what creates more success in commercial innovation,
we will struggle to get better at creating it.

Our venture development activities led us to formalize our research activities, as we realized that most research into innovation was academic, and practitioners, investors and policy makers were biased to practical trial and error. The research we do is focused on bridging the gap between the academic and the practical in innovation.
Current Research
Released Reports:
Post-Pandemic Scenarios – Supply Chain – Second in a Series
Covid-19 has profoundly affected commerce and global trade. New consumer patterns are emerging, which will persist after the pandemic ebbs. We project three lasting changes to supply chain strategy.
- “Last Mile” Disintermediation – growth in direct delivery; decline in brick and mortar
- A fundamental shift in the risk vs. cost tradeoff
- Rethinking global supply chain
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Post-Pandemic Scenarios Higher Education
We think that higher education is ripe for disruption and COVID-19 has accelerated this disruption. The advancement of digital technologies for online instruction and work from home being the new normal, colleges and universities need to come up with innovative ways to enhance the experience of students.
The coronavirus pandemic will profoundly change our view of the world and how we operate. However, the nature of those changes is highly uncertain. To reduce this uncertainty, our team has conducted a structured, iterative group forecasting exercise. Our forecasting methodology is outlined at the end of this paper.
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The Innovation Impact of U.S. Universities
Report from Opus Faveo and the the Bush Institute connects innovation activities to economic growth and prosperity and provides recommendations for institutions and policymakers.
America’s long-term economic growth demands a stepped-up commitment to promoting the innovation impact of the nation’s top-tier universities and other research institutions.
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Energy Transformation Trends and Drivers 1990-2040
The global economy depends on energy. Access to low-cost and abundant energy, most of it based on fossil fuels, has enabled rapid economic progress among developed nations over the past century. As development progresses and global incomes increase, and as that progress expands to include more of the global population the demand for energy will also grow, by a projected 42% in the next 25 years.
Venture Development – A New Model for Start-up Success
Existing entrepreneurial methodologies are not creating robust new ventures sufficient to supply the modern economy with innovation, jobs, and wealth creation. It is time for a new model.
University Technology Commercialization Survey: Final Report
Universities want to have an impact. Moreover, they place a high priority on the role of their technology commercialization efforts in achieving that impact, measured through the creation of economic and other societal benefits. Political leaders, voters, donors and other stakeholders want to know what return they can we expect on university research and development investments.
In late 2014 Opus Faveo surveyed leaders within the Office of Technology Transfer, Office of Research, and Office of the Provost and received responses from over 90 universities in the U.S. and Canada. Their perspectives highlighted important trends in university technology commercialization. This report is available for purchase and download.Continue reading→
University Technology Commercialization Survey: Excerpts
Following up on the development of the Opus Faveo Innovation Impact™ Score, Opus Faveo conducted a detailed survey of technology commercialization practices and views among the top 200 research institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Our findings provide important new information for leaders and key stakeholders of universities, medical schools, hospitals and other research institutions. This report is available for purchase and download.
University Startups and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Best Practices
As part of its ongoing research into technology commercialization at universities, medical schools, hospitals and other research institutions, Opus Faveo analyzed best practices among leaders in forming startups and creating effective entrepreneurial ecosystems. This report is available for purchase and download.

Upcoming Analyses:
University Technology Commercialization

Opus Faveo is conducting ongoing analysis of technology commercialization policy in leading research universities, medical schools, hospitals, and other research institutions globally through a series of research studies. This analysis is examining both the goals and the effectiveness of technology commercialization efforts. The research path includes:
- Analysis of publicly-stated goals for technology commercialization (Complete)
- Creation of the Opus Faveo Innovation Impact™ Score and the related determination of key drivers for creating impact from research in such institutions, beginning with the U.S. and Canada. (Complete)
- Detailed profiles of leading institutions (Ongoing)
- Creation of database of leaders with commercialization responsibility in U.S. and Canada (Complete)
- Analysis of start-up ecosystems in leading institutions (Phase 1 Complete)
- Interviews with administration, faculty and technology commercialization professionals at institutions in the US and Canada (Ongoing)
- In-depth surveys of insitutions (Phase 1 complete)
- Addition of institutions in Mexico to knowledge base (In Process)
- Addition of institutions in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa to knowledge base
Opus Faveo will be releasing reports on this research periodically. Some findings will not be released publicly, but are available for Opus Faveo CI² clients.
What Is Venture Development?
Opus Faveo is studying the rise of venture development as a practice globally. The lengthy analysis asks the question: Is Venture Development something new? The research looks at current examples of venture development forms internationally, as well as comparing it to traditional venture capital, start-up accelerators and incubators.