Technology Transfer

Several formerly independent trends including the in­ creasing rate of technological change, the demand for greater efficiency and productivity in R&D and innovation, and the need for applying technology to the solution of pressing social and economic problems have recently begun to reinforce each other resulting in renewed interest in technology trans­ fer activities and research. The proliferation of research efforts in the U. S. and Western Europe, increased corporate and governmental efforts to develop mechanisms and incentives for transfer and the growing closeness between transfer and innovation studies led to the decision to convene a meeting with representatives from both research and practice in trans­ fer and innovation in order to establish a "state-of-the-art" baseline and to promote discussion between the researchers and practioners from all sectors in the hope that new research will better reflect the realities of current practice and new mechanisms created by practioners might be improved through the use of knowledge generated from research. How close we came~to the second goal is a question which must be left to the fut~re. The proceedings which follow re­ flect the first goal. If the papers and conclusions occasional­ ly appear to be contradictory or repetitive, or naive, or over­ ly pessimistic or simply based upon too narrow a base or re­ search or experience, they are an accurate reflection of both the state-of-the-art and the lack of communications among in­ dividuals and organizations involved in similar activities.