Title: Differentiating between types of technology transfer: the Technology Building

Authors: Harm-Jan Steenhuis, Sirp J. de Boer

Addresses: University of Twente, Faculty of Technology and Management, Technology and Development Group, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. University of Twente, Faculty of Technology and Management, Technology and Development Group, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

Abstract: In this article, the concept of the Technology Building is introduced. The Technology Building concept facilitates the reader of literature on the subject of transfer of technology to discriminate quickly between three mainstreams in the transfer of technology. The first mainstream in technology transfer, mostly present in industrialised countries, is technological development from research all the way to selling products. This can be seen as innovation at the company level. A second mainstream in technology transfer, mostly present in industrialising countries, also concerns technological development but now it is related to building up technological capabilities all the way to research in order to catch up with industrialised countries. At the company level, this process can be called exnovation in contrast to innovation. The third mainstream in technology transfer is the international transfer, which links the other two mainstreams. In this case technology is transferred between industrialised and industrialising countries. A number of examples, e.g. reverse engineering and transnational production, illustrate the usefulness of the Technology Building.

Keywords: technology transfer; innovation; exnovation; technological development; industrialising countries.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2002.001784

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2002 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.187-200

Published online: 18 Aug 2003 *

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