Technology transfer — A view of what works

Technology transfer works now as an applied art for many skilled practitioners. This is a brief review of some of the salient approaches to technology transfer that have been found to be effective. Discussed are personal contact, conferences, brokering, technical publications, patents, contracts, application teams and other related techniques. The discussion is rich with examples of what to do and what not to do.     

Technology transfer: A public policy issue

Technology and the dissemination of information has become a public policy issue in the United States. This article examines the concept of technology transfer and the issue of exporting technological innovation by providing an historic overview of the process and the private and public sector's attitude towards the transfer of technology.     

Technology transfer vs. diffusion: A conceptual clarification

Technology transfer and diffusion are often used interchangeably and applied to diverse phenomena. Policy needs to distinguish between them. Transfer of knowledge and legal rights to produce a new product is constrained by the owner's concern for a return on innovation; diffusion of use is restricted by willingness and ability to adopt it. Speedy diffusion of use rewards the innovator; premature or inadequately rewarded transfer undermines incentives to innovate. The conflict occurs with product innovations, but may not arise with process innovations, whose diffusion is also contrary to the interests of the innovator unless compensated. Factors favoring and hindering technology transfer, and conditions affecting the rate of diffusion of use, are briefly considered.     

Technology transfer: A look at the federal sector

An important resource in the search for solutions to serious issues confronting the United States is the science and technology which result from Federally funded research and development. To obtain the optimum return on this significant investment requires that the resultant technology be adapted for secondary utilization and/or be transferred to primary and secondary users. This article describes the magnitude and scope of Federally sponsored research and development and describes the major Federal technology transfer efforts. While present technology transfer efforts, mostly passive, are necessary, there is need for more active methods. The Federal government is seeking ways to improve its technology transfer effort. General agreement on the following actions appears to exist: Stronger support by Federal research and development management, and increased commitment of personnel and funding to the Federal technology transfer effort.     

Technology transfer: A shortcut in danger of short circuit

At cocktail parties, in board rooms, at workstations, in classrooms, and in government offices, “technology transfer” is bandied about as if it were some natural phenomenon, a technological tsunami overwhelming everything in its path. Technology transfer, it is sometimes suggested, is an El Niño in business, government, industry, and even education decision-making, and for some it has meant disruption, dislocation, and danger. For others, technology transfer has been the vanguard of progress and an inexhaustible fountain of productivity, empowerment, and convenience. For all, “technology transfer” today is too often a personal shortcut in our communication that points to unintended meanings or implications. Just whatis “technology transfer,” anyway? To move beyond knee-jerk advocacy or damnation of technology transfer on the questionable basis of faith, and to lay out a new dimension to the definition, understanding, and acceptance of technology transfer that is clear and understandable to any layman, is the purpose of this paper. It is based on a selective yet careful web search, since the Internet World Wide Web is a principal source for information in the growing debate about public policy issues.     

Technology transfer legislation: An overview

This article provides an overview of the Federal legislation on technology transfer beginning with the Bayh-Dole and Stevenson-Wydler acts of 1980 and ending with the 1987 Executive Order, “Facilitating Access to Science and Technology.” The legislation and Executive Order provide the context for Federal laboratory technology transfer activities. The article covers the historic development of transfer legislation, the authorities given to laboratories, incentives for technology transfer provided by legislation, and the mandated duties and responsibilities of ORTAs, organizations, and agencies.     

Technology transfer: Some assembly required

Successful technology transfer involves technology and a whole lot more. To succeed, factors like money, manpower, mentoring, marketing, and others must come together. If one of these factors is absent, the technology transfer project will fail. The resources invested in the project are wasted. Wise investment of scarce federal laboratory resources imposes a need to verify that these success factors are in place before investing scarce technology resources.     

Technology transfer and entrepreneurship: cross-national analysis

The purpose of this article is to improve our understanding of the links between technology transfer, entrepreneurship and the institutional setting in explaining both the competitiveness of firms and the economic performance of places, albeit a city, region, state or country. We accomplish this objective by presenting a framework for the cross-national analysis of different regional contexts. Finally, we introduce the papers included in this special issue in the International journal of Technology Transfer on ‘Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship: Cross-National Analysis’.     

Technology transfer within China

This paper examines technology transfer within China. The Chinese government is currently placing great emphasis on developing indigenous scientific and technological capacity. In order to expedite the strengthening of science and technology capabilities, the government is promoting extraordinary measures designed to enhance the diffusion of technology within China. Special attention is focusing on strengthening the links between the academic, industrial, and defense sectors. In addition, the government is experimenting with policies commonly used in the West that encourage decentralization and the taking of local initiative. Although China's concern with technology transfer is very recent, it appears that the new technology transfer policies are having an immediate positive effect.     

Technology transfer in the navy: The historical background

This report reviews technology transfer in light of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. Following a brief introduction, a section on “Definitions” explains the several meanings that the phrase “technology transfer” now carries in policy discussions. The next section, on “Passive Technology Transfer”, reviews traditional Department of Defense scientific and technical information programs that relate to technology transfer. A section on “Military Industrial Transfer” examines technology transfer from the Defense Department to private industry, expecially to defense contractors. A section on “The Stevenson-Wydler Act and Active Technology Transfer” describes the principal provisions of the new act and why Congress passed it. The next two sections, on “NASA’s Technology Transfer Program” and “The Federal Laboratory Consortium” outline the two existing Government programs Congress relied upon in developing ideas for the new law. A section on “Implementation of the Stevenson-Wydler Act”, discusses several important issues that must be considered by Navy laboratory management as the new law is put into effect in the Navy. Finally, a brief conclusion emphasizes the major point of the report: That Congress, in passing the Stevenson-Wydler Act, did not fully consider what relationship the new technology transfer programs it was requiring in the Executive Branch should bear to existing programs with similar purposes. If the public interest is to be served, the report argues, the Navy must consciously and carefully determine the proper nature of this relationship.     

Technology transfer negotiations: Determinants of MNEs' bargaining power

Technology is, perhaps, the most desirable attribute of multinational enterprises (MNEs) to the less developed countries (LDCs) and constitutes their primary source of bargaining power. Similarly, the attractiveness of a market to the MNEs constitutes LDCs' principal source of negotiating strength in dealing with MNEs on such matters as the conditions for investment and technology transfer. What is unclear is how these independent variables are most successfully utilized. The aim of this paper is to identify and examine the bargaining power variables and their level of influence in technology transfer negotiations. The result shows that though technology is always a source of negotiating strength to MNEs, locational attractiveness may not always be a significant source of bargaining power to LDCs in all negotiations with multinational enterprises.     

Technology transfer: An overview as related to LDCs

The Technology Transfer issue has aroused much controversy in the last two decades among management researchers. This paper attempts to discuss the problems of Technology Transfer, the debate on this issue and some of the theories concerned. It also presents a suggested theoretical framework to assist the LDCs in determining need for, and receiving of, new technology.     

Technology transfer through group research

Industry is seeking ways to take advantage of developing technology to improve productivity and compete more effectively in international markets. This article discusses group research as a cost-effective means of disseminating research results, providing participating companies with a basis for innovation and commercialization of new products and processes. It describes the characteristics of group research and the kinds of results that may be expected. The article also includes guidelines for selection, evaluation, and participation in group research projects.     

Technology transfer at land-grant universities

Improvement in the ability of universities in the United States to transfer technology to the private sector is seen as a factor in strengthening American competitiveness. To better understand the university's role in this process, a survey of formal university programs in technology transfer was performed through personal interviews at four midwestern land-grant universities. There are six basic types of programs in place: technical assistance, affiliate, licensing, business development, incubators and research parks, and information networks. For purposes of classifying these programs, we used the model developed by Janis et al. (1) It was found that, of the six modes of technology transfer, two could be considered active, three semi-active and one passive.     

Technology transfer to developing nations

What’s a developing nation? For that matter, what’s technology transfer? When put in the context of exporting and importing technology, the answers are moot. Transfer still turns on how much someone — developed, developing or undeveloped — is willing to pay for the technology, and whether there is an identifiable need that it can satisfy with a minimum of sophistication. The simpler — and cheaper — the better. That may very well become the theme of a new worldwide movement called “appropriate technology”, which, among several other matters, is also discussed in this paper.     

Technology transfer in supplier-development programs

OEM (large firm) supplier-development programs have expanded from a quality focus to include more technologically sophisticated issues. The quality issues now require the supplier to supply functional sub-assemblies as well as discrete parts and to insure the capability of second- and third-tier vendors. In addition, the supplier must be prepared to participate in the design of a new product in a timely fashion in the case where the supplier may possess core manufacturing technologies that the OEM needs to complete the design cycle. The Northeast Manufacturing Technology Center (NEMTC) is developing a multistage evaluation and assessment process that will allow a small manufacturer to measure its business and technical capabilities against accepted benchmarks (such as ISO 9000). This development is being funded by a grant from the State of New York. Coincidentally, NEMTC is working with 31 OEMs to match their supplierassessment programs to the same benchmarks. This will allow the OEM and the small manufacturer to determine their compatibility. The program will be coupled with a support program that will bring the small manufacturer up to the desired performance level through the transfer of the appropriate technologies. It will allow NEMTC to target its program to small manufacturers with the potential to become vendors to OEMs. The center is supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.     

Technology transfer in the americas

This paper focuses on a particular technology transfer area (Anglo-Saxon and Latin America) and presents possible answers to two questions: (1) What are the technologies most needed in the developing nations of Latin America today? (2) How can the transfer of these technologies from the United States and Canada be improved profitably? In addressing these questions, this discussion identifies key technologies driving economic development through-out the world today, and their particular importance for Latin American countries. To better analyze the transfer process, the paper proposes a general model designated as the relocation/absorption paradigm. This model evidences the necessity of an active approach to technology transfer in order for key technologies to arrive in Latin America. This active approach identifies a conceptual knowledge exchange as the essential catalyst in the absorption of the identified technologies. The purpose of this discussion is to explore issues related to the transfer of very recently developed technologies from the United States and Canada to the developing countries of Latin America. By leaving the political discussion aside, the paper approaches this matter from a technology management perspective, aiming to articulate why technology flow to “south of the border” should be increased, and to offer useful discussions on how to achieve that end.