From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Technology transfer is the process of developing practical applications for the results of scientific research. While conceptually the activity has been practised for many years (in ancient times, Archimedes was notable for applying science to practical problems), the present-day volume of research, combined with high-profile failures at Xerox PARC and elsewhere, has led to a focus on the process itself.

Many companies, universities, and governmental organizations now have an "Office of Technology Transfer" dedicated to identifying research results of potential commercial interest, and to developing strategies for how to exploit it. For instance, a research result may be of interest, but patents are normally only issued for practical processes, and so someone, not necessarily the researchers, must come up with a specific practical process that depends on the result. Another consideration is commercial value; for instance, while there are many ways to accomplish nuclear fusion in practice, the ones of commercial interest are those that generate more energy than they require to operate.

As a result, technology transfer organizations are often multidisciplinary, including economists, engineers, lawyers, marketers and scientists.

The United States Department of Defense assesses technology maturity using a Technology Readiness Level as part of its technology transfer process.

The dynamics of the technology transfer process has attracted some attention in its own right, and there are several dedicated societies and journals.

Contents 1 Societies 2 Journals 3 See also 4 External links 4.1 Online technology markets

• Wellcome Trust
• Association of Federal Technology Transfer Executives
• Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)
• Licensing Executives Society International (LESI)
• Technology Transfer Society
• The University Companies Association (UNICO) - UK
• Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP)
• Innovation Relay Centre Network

• Comparative Technology Transfer and Society
• Journal of Technology Transfer
• The Journal of the Association of University Technology Managers
• International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation

• Bayh-Dole Act
• Technology assessment
• The iBridge Network
• Larta Institute
• Technology transfer offices
  • KOTRA-Korean Trade-Promotion Agency[1]
  • Isis Innovation Ltd, University of Oxford
  • Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
  • Imperial Innovations
  • KCL Enterprises
  • Biodiscovery Toronto
  • Technology Transfer and Business Enterprise, uOttawa
  • Ottawa Technology Transfer Network
  • Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties[2]

• Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (US)
• NASA Innovative Partnerships Program (US)
• National Technology Transfer Center (US)
• Technology Transfer (Lipid Labs)

• Canterprise, University of Canterbury (New Zealand)

• Technology4SME.net
• LogikBase technology search