Technology Transfer Systems in the United States and Germany Lessons and Perspectives (1997) / Chapter Skim
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Technology Transfer by Privately Held, Nonacademic Organizations
Technology Transfer by Privately Held, Nonacademic Organizations
Pages 151-176
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From page 151... ...
Included in the first group are independent and affiliated77 R&D institutes and R&D consortia, predominantly nonprofit organizations. The second group includes providers of technology transfer referrals and information; technology business incubators and research parks; technology brokers, technology transfer consultants, law firms, and technology transfer conference organizers; and technical/professional associations, societies, and academies.
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From page 152... ...
Organizations That Create and Transfer Technology The organizations in this category perform in-house R&D, contract for R&D, or perform contracted or cooperative R&D and transfer primarily technology that they have generated internally. These include independent R&D institutes, affiliated R&D institutes, and consortia or other private nonacademic organizations that conduct R&D and technology transfer.
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From page 153... ...
are: Midwest Research Institution, SRI International Inc., Southwest Research Institute, Research Triangle Institute, RAND Corporation, MITRE Corporation, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the World Wildlife Fund (Gale Research, 1996)
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From page 154... ...
This compares with over $242 million in royalties received on 3,413 licenses by 117 universities reporting to AUTM. The six largest independent, nonprofit, applied R&D/engineering institutes in the United States are Battelle Memorial Institute, Midwest Research Institute, Research Triangle Institute, Southern Research Institute, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
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From page 155... ...
Number Percent Research Focus of Institutes of Total Agriculture, food, and veterinary science 0 0 Biological and environmental sciences 4 11 Health and medical sciences 16 44 Astronomy and space sciences 2 5 Computers and mathematics 1 3 Engineering and technology 6 17 Physical and earth sciences 1 3 Multidisciplinary institutes 6 17 SOURCE: Gale Research (1996)
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From page 156... ...
In the United States, labor, particularly hightech labor, is highly mobile and much technology moves between firms by that route. In countries where labor is less mobile (Japan being the extreme example)
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are profitmaking companies. Private nonprofit organizations including colleges and universities represented 10 percent of memberships, and government agencies and organizations constituted 4 percent of JRV members.
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SEMATECH also pro duces reports and holds meetings to provide technology-related informa tion to its member companies. In 1994, for example, SEMATECH had over 600 meetings and entertained over 25,000 visitors.
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have identified technology transfer as the consortium's most serious problem (Gibson and Rogers,
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From page 160... ...
Largely as a result of weak technology transfer links, many consortia participants have judged their membership in consortia as not worth the cost and effort and have expressed concerns over the return on their consortia investments. A number of large consortia have come together as the Council of Consortia CEOs to solve common problems.
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From page 161... ...
TABLE 2.20 Primary Technical Areas of Joint Research Ventures (JRVs) , 1985–1995 Technical Area 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Total JRVs Percent Telecommunications 8 1 6 8 10 15 17 17 23 15 11 131 22.78 Environmental 9 1 3 2 0 6 9 3 5 6 12 56 9.74 Advanced materials 3 5 3 4 5 2 2 5 6 5 13 53 9.22 Energy 5 1 2 1 4 6 9 14 7 0 1 50 8.70 Transportation 8 3 2 0 0 1 4 3 5 9 9 44 7.65 Software 1 0 1 2 4 2 3 1 4 3 18 39 6.78 Chemicals 2 2 2 2 7 5 8 4 1 3 2 38 6.61 Subassemblies and components 5 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 3 6 7 27 4.70 Manufacturing equipment 1 2 2 1 2 3 1 1 1 3 9 26 4.52 Factory automation 2 0 1 3 1 2 0 5 3 3 2 22 3.83 TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE UNITED STATES Photonics 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 2 3 2 9 21 3.65 Test and measurement 0 1 1 2 1 0 4 4 1 1 6 21 3.65 Computer hardware 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 4 1 4 13 2.26 N/A 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 11 1.91 Biotechnology 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 3 10 1.74 Medicals 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 3 10 1.74 Pharmaceuticals 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.52 Total JRVs 50 17 25 32 34 47 60 61 71 63 115 575 100.00 SOURCE: Vonortas (1996)
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From page 162... ...
They perform a wide variety of functions that assist the technology transfer process in some way, mostly by providing information, expertise, and/or money. Four types of intermediaries are reviewed below: organizations that provide technology transfer referrals and information; technology brokers, technology transfer consultants, law firms, and conference organizers; technology business incubators and research parks; and organizations not otherwise classified.
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From page 163... ...
University technology managers have discussed the possibility of constructing a central repository of available university technologies, but no such project has ever gotten off the ground. However, a number of technology transfer referral organizations (mostly in the private sector)
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Nevertheless, the LES sample indicates that a large percentage of brokers and consultants are engaged in locating technologies and providing referrals.88 TECHNOLOGY BROKERS, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CONSULTANTS, LAW FIRMS, AND CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS This category consists of organizations and individuals that perform some of the many services of a technology transfer intermediary. The value they add to the technology transfer process is thought to be substantial, although there is no way to measure this impact except indirectly by tracking the revenue these intermediaries bring in.
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is the U.S. subsidiary of the former British government corporation created to market British university technologies.
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Law Firms Although a number of commercial firms, universities, and federal laboratories have legal expertise in the technology transfer area, there is still a very active commercial market for such legal services. A large number of law firms and individual attorneys provide services related to technology transfer, including patenting, licensing, and other traditional business-related legal advice.
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TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS INCUBATORS The National Business Incubator Association (NBIA) defines business incubators as "assistance programs targeted to start-up and fledgling firms.
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This latter term is usually applied to incubators that are primarily focused on commercializing new technologies through entrepreneurial ventures. According to NBIA, most technology incubators are associated with universities.90 Other technology incubators are associated with federal laboratories, high-tech firms, or some combination of these institutions.91 The NBIA estimates that of the approximately 550 incubators operating as of early 1997, 90 to 100 were true technology business incubators.
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From page 169... ...
Furthermore, because they cluster growing high-technology firms together, they provide a significant opportunity for spontaneous technical interaction and technology transfer. The Association of University-Related Research Parks defines a research park as a property-based venture that has: • existing or planned land and buildings specifically designed for private and public research and development facilities, high-technology and sci ence-based companies and support services; • a contractual and/or operational relationship with a university or other institution of higher education; • a role in promoting research and development by the university in part nership with industry, assisting in the growth of new ventures, and pro moting economic development; and, • a role in aiding the transfer of technology and business skills between the university and industry tenants.
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. As of 1995, there were 136 U.S.-based university-related research parks housing 4,765 companies and employing over 253,000 people (Association of University Related Research Parks, 1995)
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CERF uses a variety of means to carry out its objectives, including cooperative research programs, consortia, technology evaluation centers, surveys, and prototype demonstrations. CERF organized and now administers the National Council for Civil Engineering Research, consisting of over 60 civil-engineering-related research organizations, which fosters cooperation to advance the interests of the civil engineering profession through research.
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Venture Capital Firms The classic function of venture capital (VC) firms in the technology transfer process is to invest in the growth of new start-up or spin-off technology companies.
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, suggests that there are significant gaps in the scope and/or quality of technology transfer services provided to SMEs by public-and private-sector organizations.94 The perception that this vast collec
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Conclusion Privately held, nonacademic organizations form the smallest of the four sectors of the U.S. technology transfer enterprise in terms of R&D performed or quantitatively measurable technology transfer (patents and royalties)
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The U.S. population of privately held, non-R&D performing organizations involved in technology transfer to industry is large, diverse, and highly autonomous, and the range of technology transfer services provided is extensive, though uneven among industrial sectors.
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From page 176... ...
From the perspective of firms involved as well some outside observers, the semiconductor industry technology road map effort has been successful at focusing the attention and resources of the industry and the federal government on a shared conception of technological challenges and opportunities. The more recently developed technology road map for the chemical industry was launched, in part, by a request from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.98 In addition to these industry-specific initiatives, state and federal governments have attempted to strengthen the existing but relatively weak network of private and public service providers with more comprehensive industrial-modernization and technical-extension programs.
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