The papers in this volume attempt to bring the facts about spin-offs from public research to light. Universities and research institutions are more entrepreneurial than ever before, and spin-offs represent the success of their new commercial orientation. But hopes about the importance of new firm generation from cutting-edge research, should be informed by better data on new firm creation and their economic impacts. The papers in this volume explore the steady rise of research-based spin-offs across the OECD, and rely on recent data to explain the factors of success, and to formulate better institutional practices and national policies.