Abstract
BackgroundUniversities, public institutions, and the transfer of knowledge to the private sector play a major role in the development of medical technologies. The decisions of universities and public institutions regarding the transfer of knowledge impact the accessibility of the final product, making it easier or more difficult for consumers to access these products. In the case of medical research, these products are pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, or medical procedures. The ethical dimension of access to these potentially lifesaving products is apparent and distinguishes the transfer of medical knowledge from the transfer of knowledge in other areas. While the general field of technology transfer from academic and public to private actors is attracting an increasing amount of scholarly attention, the specifications of knowledge transfer in the medical field are not as well explored. This review seeks to provide a systematic overview and analysis of the qualitative literature on the characteristics and determinants of knowledge transfer in medical research and development.MethodsThe review systematically searches the literature for qualitative studies that focus on knowledge transfer characteristics and determinants at medical academic and public research institutions. It aims at identifying and analyzing the literature on the content and context of knowledge transfer policies, decision-making processes, and actors at academic and public institutions. The search strategy includes the databases PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, and DiVa. These databases will be searched based on pre-specified search terms. The studies selected for inclusion in the review will be critically assessed for their quality utilizing the Qualitative Research Checklist developed by the Clinical Appraisal Skills Programme. Data extraction and synthesis will be based on the meta-ethnographic approach.DiscussionThis review seeks to further the understanding of the kinds of transfer pathways that exist in medical knowledge transfer as well as what factors lead to the adoption of one pathway over another. The aim is to provide evidence for political and academic actors designing policies for the translation of medical knowledge and public-private cooperation.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015014241.
Highlights
Universities, public institutions, and the transfer of knowledge to the private sector play a major role in the development of medical technologies
The first consists of the utilization of basic medical research for the “development of new methods for diagnosis, therapy, and prevention and their first testing in humans”, while the second describes the “translation of results from clinical studies into everyday clinical practice and health decisionmaking”. [8–10] In this study, we address the first type of knowledge transfer
We aim to improve the understanding of public-private knowledge transfer by addressing four key questions: What is the context in which knowledge transfer occurs? What are possible transfer pathways? What is the process by which a pathway is chosen? Who are the actors involved in the decision-making and what power do they have?
Summary
Universities, public institutions, and the transfer of knowledge to the private sector play a major role in the development of medical technologies. A 2010 study examining all pharmaceuticals developed between 1998 to 2007 found that of those pharmaceuticals classified as scientifically novel, more than 30 % originated from universities and were later developed by pharmaceutical or biotech companies [1] This illustrates the role the public sector and the interaction between private and public actors play in the development of new medicines and medical technologies. The first candidates for the HPV vaccines preventing cervical cancer, Gardasil, and Cervarix, were developed by public institutions and universities [2] These were later licensed to Glaxo Smith Kline and Merck Sharpe and Dohme. HPV disproportionately affects the world’s poor, with over 80 % of the cases occurring in developing countries [4]
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