A Comparison of Technology Transfer Processes and Policies at an International Level. Evidence from the Aerospace Industry

In-reach programs are essential to educate employees. In a NASA survey most employees agreed that technology transfer was important and should be a priority of the agency. Information sessions must be organized to make all employees aware of the centrality of technology innovation, to inform them on how to manage the invention process within defined corporate processes and to inform them of the social, corporate and personal benefits deriving from successful technology transfer. Internal information sessions must primarily provide information on Intellectual Property Rights and their role in the overall process. In consideration of an R&D organization’s specific objectives and governance systems of R&D organizations, in-reach programs serve the function of informing research and functional staff of the potential advantages of the new knowledge for their innovative activities and enforce the capacities necessary to evaluate, absorb and further develop the relevant knowledge and technology, which is fundamental in a knowledge-intensive and technology-oriented industry such as the aerospace industry. A greater proportion of industry-level funding is associated with higher levels of technology transfer which suggests that pursuing greater research-industry
collaborations generate beneficial effects for technology transfer offering greater opportunities for technology commercialization. Well organized and well focused interaction between research centers and industry allow the exploitation of the gains from applied research. Out-reach activities based on dissemination and promotion, stimulate a fertile communication between the scientific community and industry.