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Technology transfer initiatives in Panamanian public universities face regulatory gaps that hinder the creation of spin-offs and weaken the link between academic research and the productive sector. This article proposed a legal implementation pathway for a Business Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Panama, based on the figure of the Specialized Services Laboratory. A qualitative, documentary-normative and propositional approach was used, examining the national legal framework and the university’s internal regulations through a content-analysis matrix. The procedure was organized into four phases: identification of the legal figure, planning of the proposal, institutional approval, and implementation. The results showed that a spin-off is not viable under the current framework because of the absence of transferable intellectual property assets, whereas the Specialized Services Laboratory, attached to the Business Research Center, does allow research, innovation, and service provision to be articulated. The proposal specifies the elements required by each pathway, in terms of both infrastructure and service, together with the critical success factors and risks at each stage. The model is replicable in other higher-education institutions operating under restrictive frameworks and leaves open the medium-term evolution toward an institute or a spin-off, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Este obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.
