J. Kirkland – författare

Most governments now recognise that effective technology transfer is vital to innovation and competitiveness, but the process by which ideas flow from universities to industry is complex. Several barriers can be identified: technological, cultural, legal and financial. Such problems have often been seen in isolation, but it is clear that the problem of encouraging successful transfer is complex, requiring an interdisciplinary approach. The collection of papers in this volume is deliberately diverse, offering perspectives from economics, sociology, science, engineering and public administration, drawn both from within and outside academic life, from those at the sharp end of technology licensing and the administration of government research programmes. The range of national backgrounds of the writers encompasses ten countries.

A cross-national comparative study of university-industry R&D collaborations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The text examines a phenomenon of increasing importance in advanced industrial societies - the partnership of higher educational institutions with industry to commercialize the results of scientific and technological research. The volume provides extensive detail about the historical traditions that have shaped the attitudes and public policy towards technology transfer within each of these nations. Statistical data is provided to illustrate the extent of university-industry R&D collaborations in each nation. The particular problems faced by each nation in their efforts to increase the levels of transfer are discussed. The volume highlights the process of how each nation adopts the successful policies of the other nations.

Most governments now recognise that effective technology transfer is vital to innovation and competitiveness, but the process by which ideas flow from universities to industry is complex. Several barriers can be identified: technological, cultural, legal and financial. Such problems have often been seen in isolation, but it is clear that the problem of encouraging successful transfer is complex, requiring an interdisciplinary approach. The collection of papers in this volume is deliberately diverse, offering perspectives from economics, sociology, science, engineering and public administration, drawn both from within and outside academic life, from those at the sharp end of technology licensing and the administration of government research programmes. The range of national backgrounds of the writers encompasses ten countries. Audience: Those seeking to sell and acquire new ideas, particularly across national boundaries; policy makers and strategic planners in business and universities; academics in a range of science, technology and social science disciplines.