2.6: Technology transfer
Technology denotes the broad area of purposeful
application of the contents of the physical, life and behavioral sciences [25].
Technology transfer is a long and complex process of innovation, that is, a
process of adaptation and change. Technology transfer projects often occur
where the recipient culture (technology-pull side) is different from the source
culture (technology-push side) and therefore generally long, complicated and
extend over an average of two to four years [25].
Technology transfer is composed of horizontal and vertical
technology transfer and takes place at the following two main levels [25]
1. Development level: characterized by the following
development and research phases; discovery phase, create phase leading to an
invention, substantiate phase, development phase leading to a prototype and an
engineering phase leading to a functional technological system which may be a
process, an intellectual concept, a hardware product e.t.c
2. Impact level characterized by how the technology is going
to affect its destination
Technology transfer might come as a result of a company
strategy to improve on process management by buying a new technology and of
which is the case of AESS in the context of this work or the ordinary
commercial operation of a firm e.g. technology vendors who regularly transfer
technology to their clients and of which is the case of Siemens (EPC
contractor) for this PMS project in the context of this work.
An efficient technology transfer can be obtained by first
answering the following questions [25]
ü What aspects of the technology are transferred in the
transfer project? How can they be conceptualized?
ü How can the overall system within which the transfer
occurs be represented?
ü What transfer model exist that can be used to develop a
particular design?
ü What steps are required to ensure efficiency in the
transfer and the technology appropriateness (integration) to the new context
and specific destination point?
The following are the factors involved in a decision-making
process in the pursued of a technology transfer strategy by the technology-pull
side (purchaser, recipient or destination point) and the corresponding decision
phases they affect. These phases and their deciding factors form in other words
the steps used in ensuring an efficient and complete technology transfer
(stages in a technology transfer project)
1. Needs and opportunities in the development plan phase
2. Technology transfer project analysis (technical
feasibility, market analysis and financial analysis) for the implementation
strategy phase
3. Technology transfer project evaluation and selection in the
portfolio of project phase
4. Technical availability, cost and socioeconomic conditions
in the design and management of the technology transfer project phase.
The technology transfer project analysis at the implementation
strategy phase with feasibility studies entails
a) Needs assessment, that is, technical requirements for
responding to a specific market demand and which would spell out linkages
between users of product, producers or the competition
b) Impact on of the technology on destination
c) Technical feasibility of transfer, that is, feasibility in
terms of current processes, comparative analysis with other technologies,
equipments required human resources and skills needed, training requirements,
contract and transfer-management conditions, requisite modification to existing
processes, impact on working relations and functional linkages, impact on user
and consumer behavior relative to final product.
Design and management of the technology transfer project is
the last phase of the process and is one of the other main ways/mechanisms in
which technology transfer takes substance apart from the purchase of a direct
license.
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