Title: The measurement of technology transfer: situation in Spain

Authors: Maxima J. Lopez-Eguilaz, Santiago Perez

Addresses: E.T.S.I.I. UNED University, Apdo: 60. 149, Madrid-28080, Spain. E.T.S.I.I. UNED University, Apdo: 60. 149, Madrid-28080, Spain

Abstract: Over the last few years there has been a trend towards greater interrelation between the various economic systems and in particular an increasing process of globalisation which is still going on. As a result, this has given rise to a new technical and economic system with a different structure from its predecessor. The data requirements for these scientific and technological systems, which are becoming more and more important in the world|s economies, pose the challenge of improving, or in some cases simply preserving, the indicators used in the past by gradually introducing procedures to increase their quality or by taking corrective steps to maintain those parameters identified, through an appropriate assessment of the source or sources of the data used in their compilation, as best defining the concepts which are later to be used for the various assessments which might foreseeably give rise to the implementation of corrective action, without overlooking the ever-larger requirement and obligation imposed by various international organisations for the establishment of homogeneous definitions, thus allowing international comparisons of the different data. The traditional dichotomy between the handling of quantitative and qualitative data indicators must no longer be posed in such terms as the producers of these indicators are faced with considerable limitations in the process of constructing them due to the effects of globalisation mentioned above. These must, therefore, be used in accordance with the goals to be achieved and should be considered as complementary information within the process of measuring variables with many different facets. Specifically, the requirements imposed in the EU related with the liberalisation of exchange controls and the total elimination of prior verification for all kinds of invisible transactions represent a considerable problem for the measurement of the corresponding process. In this paper, the author gives a description of such problems and its present situation.

Keywords: technology transfer; cross border payment; quantitative indicator; qualitative indicator; data sources.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1997.001654

International Journal of Technology Management, 1997 Vol.13 No.2, pp.153-164

Published online: 15 Aug 2003 *

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