Technological Transfers from the European Space Programs: A Dynamic View and Comparison with Other R&D Projects

This article presents the results and lessons learned from a series of studies carried out by the BETA research team (University Louis Pasteur of Strasbourg, France) to measure the spin-offs and technological transfers that resulted from European space programs. Beyond the quantitative results that are analyzed in detail, the article examines some of the main qualitative characteristics that shape the technology transfer process generated by these programs. In particular, it is demonstrated that three main characteristics have a significant impact on the technology transfer process: the nature of the technologies at stake (their degree of maturity, their degree of diversity, the extent to which they are generic or specific), the nature of the network of participants to the programs (the degree of mutual trust, the existence of absorptive capabilities) and the nature of the organizational structure of those firms which participated in the projects (their degree of decentralization, their degree of vertical integration).The article concludes by discussing how these lessons learned could be used to shape the procurement policies to be followed by space agencies in order to favor a high potential for technological transfers arising from future space projects.