TGB //Ecosystem Navigator
For University Research & Innovation Leaders

Your Research Is World-Class.
Is It Reaching the Market?

In 5 minutes, Ecosystem Navigator maps where knowledge, talent, and capital connect between your institution and the local economy — and where the handoffs break. See which VIC phases your institution drives, and where the system stalls after research leaves the lab.

R&D-to-market diagnosisYour institutions, mappedPrioritized action plan
No account required10 questions, 5 minutesHarvard-pioneered Economic Complexity

AUTM benchmarks tell you how many licenses you signed. This tells you whether the system around you is converting research into regional economic value.

Sound Familiar?

These are the questions that keep research VPs and TTO directors up at night. The diagnostic tells you where you actually stand.

"Our disclosures are up, but spinoffs aren't."

The diagnostic traces where the handoff breaks — between your TTO, local capital, and industry absorptive capacity. It's usually not your TTO's fault.

"We produce great graduates. They leave."

Brain drain isn't a university problem alone — it's a signal that the local economy lacks complex knowledge systems to retain talent. The diagnostic quantifies this gap.

"Industry doesn't engage with our research."

The diagnostic evaluates knowledge transfer efficiency — are local firms even aware of what you offer? Is the TTO structured to facilitate applied collaboration, or just licensing?

"The provost wants proof of economic impact."

Annual reports count patents and licenses. This diagnostic scores your institution's role in a living system — contribution to the Virtuous Innovation Cycle that drives regional growth.

Where Your Institution Fits in the Innovation Cycle

The Virtuous Innovation Cycle (VIC) shows how ideas become economic value and reinvest back into research. Universities anchor the first two phases — the diagnostic reveals whether the rest of the system is keeping up.

Phase I — Knowledge & Talent

This is your home turf

Talent pipelines, R&D capacity, basic research output. The diagnostic rates how well your inputs feed the next stage — or sit unused.

Phase II — Innovation Dynamics

Where the handoff happens

Tech transfer, university-industry collaboration, incubators on campus. This is where research either crosses into the market or stalls.

Phase III — Market Outputs

Beyond your walls

Startups, job creation, industry adoption of your IP. You can't control this phase, but you can see whether your ecosystem supports it.

Phase IV — Reinvestment

The feedback loop

Does commercial success fund new research? Are graduates staying to build? This phase determines whether your institution gets compounding returns or a one-time export.

What You Get in 5 Minutes

A diagnostic report configured for your region, not a generic template.

Ecosystem Diagnosis

An 800-word narrative explaining where knowledge, talent, and capital flow in your region — naming your institutions, citing your scores. See where Phase I→II handoffs work and where they break.

Innovation Asset Map

Every university, research lab, incubator, VC firm, and EDO in your area — plotted on a map. See who your potential partners are and where gaps in the ecosystem infrastructure exist.

Prioritized Actions

Research-backed recommendations ranked by impact. Each one identifies potential partners and timeframes — framed as actions your office can initiate, not abstract system goals.

Not Another Survey. Not ChatGPT.

AUTM metrics tell you what your office produced. This tells you whether the system around you is converting it into economic value.

What AUTM / annual reports tell you
  • Disclosures filed: 47
  • Licenses executed: 12
  • Startups formed: 3
  • Licensing revenue: $1.2M
What this diagnostic tells you
  • “Local firms rate awareness of your research a 2.1/5. The bottleneck isn’t your TTO — it’s that the absorptive capacity of local SMEs is low.”
  • “Phase I scores 4.2 (strong inputs) but Phase II scores 2.4 — the handoff from lab to market is where the system breaks.”
  • “Three accelerators within 30km are not connected to your research output. Consider...”

Questions from Research Leaders

I'm a VP Research, not an economic developer. Is this for me?▾
Yes. The diagnostic evaluates the entire innovation ecosystem — not just economic development. Universities anchor Phase I (inputs) and Phase II (dynamics) of the Virtuous Innovation Cycle. The report shows how effectively your institution's research and talent feed into commercialization, local industry adoption, and reinvestment. It's the system-level view that AUTM metrics can't provide.
Will the questions make sense for a university context?▾
The questions cover R&D investment, tech transfer effectiveness, university-industry collaboration, talent retention, Triple Helix partnerships, and more. Each question is localized to your region — referencing your actual institutions, accelerators, and research programs. You're rating the ecosystem your institution operates in, from your perspective.
Can I use this report in presentations to the provost or board?▾
Absolutely. The report includes a shareable link, PDF export, and structured visualizations (scorecard, VIC diagram, asset map) designed for executive presentations. The analysis is framed as a diagnostic — actionable intelligence, not abstract academic commentary.
How is this different from asking ChatGPT about our ecosystem?▾
ChatGPT gives you plausible-sounding generalities. This diagnostic uses a proprietary research framework (LINK) built on corporate strategy theory, Harvard/MIT Economic Complexity research, and insights from 50+ ecosystem leader interviews. Every question is localized to your specific region. The output is a structured, scored analysis — not a prose summary.
What does the free version include?▾
The free report includes an executive summary, Virtuous Innovation Cycle (VIC) diagnosis, innovation asset map of your region's institutions, ecosystem scorecard across strategic dimensions, and a prioritized action plan with research citations. Pro users can unlock five deep-dive modules for more granular analysis.
Can multiple people at my institution run the diagnostic?▾
Yes. Each person gets their own perspective scored. In future versions, you'll be able to compare perspectives within your institution and with other ecosystem actors — but even a single diagnostic gives you actionable intelligence about the system around you.

Five Minutes. Your Ecosystem. Your Perspective.

You already know your research is strong. Find out if the system around it is keeping up.

Get your region's report — free

No account required · Results in 60 seconds · Share with your team