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Definitions
What is technology transfer? It is a tired cliche that technology transfer is a "person to person" activity, or a "body contact sport." Tired or not, the cliche is accurate. For any transfer to occur, some contact between people must occur first. Inventions and new technologies spring from and reside in the human mind. Written descriptions, samples, or even working prototypes rarely convey all that is to be known about a new technology.
Recently, the term "technology transfer" has fallen out of favor among many who view the term as outmoded or too narrow in scope, and who prefer terms such as technology collaboration, technology deployment, technology utilization, etc. These are, for the most part, semantic differences which do little to increase our understanding of these closely related phenomena. The term "technology transfer" encompasses such a broad range of activities that a general definition brief enough to be useful is impossible to develop. However, operational definitions of technology transfer are easier to devise in a specific context, and are best constructed in terms of specific mechanisms of transfer. A number of different definitions are in use by various institutions and groups, and some of them are included below.
(If you know of yet another definition used by an institution or group involved in technology transfer, please email it to us.)
The course cosponsored by the Washington Area Chapter of the Technology Transfer Society uses the following definition:
"The transfer of technology, expertise, or facilities from one person or organization to another for the purpose of commercialization or product/process improvement."
The Technology Transfer Society's brochure defines technology transfer as "a strategy for achieving organizational goals, as "a process leading to actual transfer," and as "a discipline involving a multiplicity of skills."
The Federal Laboratory Consortium defines technology transfer as
"The process by which existing knowledge, facilities or capabilities developed under federal R&D funding are utilized to fulfill public and private needs."
The Office of Management and Budget definition of technology transfer given in Circular No. A-11 (1994):
- Technical/cooperative interactions (direct technical assistance to private sector users and developers; personnel exchanges; resource sharing; and cooperative research and development agreements);
- Commercialization activities (patenting and licensing of innovations and identifying markets and users); and
- Information exchange (dissemination to potential technology users of technical information; papers, articles, reports, seminars, etc.)."
- Technology Transfer consists of efforts and activities intended to result in the application or commercialization of Federal laboratory-developed innovations by the private sector, State and local governments, and other domestic users.
Michael Odza, Publisher of Technology Access Report defines technology transfer as:
"The business transactions or processes, such as patent licenses or startup companies, by which innovations are moved from one place (such as a university), development stage or application to another place (such as a company) for a commercial purpose. (We include defense conversion as a special case under this definition.)"
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Technology Transfer Mechanisms
Another way to understand technology transfer is to examine the mechanisms by which it takes place. As there are many definitions of technology transfer, observers have created many different sets of mechanisms by which technology transfer occurs. Some of those are Technology Transfer mechanisms involving Federal Laboratories from:
- The Federal Laboratory Consortium
- The National Technology Transfer Center
The mechanisms by which technology is transferred from universities is similar to those involving federal laboratories. The focus tends to be on technology licensing, faculty consulting, spinoff companies, and a notable addition for universities: the continuous flow of trained graduates into other areas, particularly industry. |
