Examining different technology transfer capabilities and their counterpart works from two different positions

Abstract

This study adopts the capability dimension of technology transfer from two positional perspectives. It constructed and examined each technology transfer capability of a public technology transfer office and each user company and their counterpart engagements. A user company's technology transfer capability is a composite of a search, contract decision-making, and new technology implementation capability. In contrast, a technology transfer office's technology transfer capability can be deployed into marketing, contract decision-making, and new technology implementation support capability. First, the construction of a technology transfer office's technology transfer capability can lead to the theoretical development of technology transfer offices by considering the lack of existing studies regarding the role of technology transfer offices on a capability dimension. Second, this study highlights the investigation of the recently identified user's contract-decision capability, which has not been sufficiently examined in technology transfer capability. Lastly, this study improves our understanding of a technology transfer mechanism through two positional perspectives, compared to the existing studies that dealt with the one-dimensional direction of technology transfer, such as a supplier or user perspective. It identified that each capability from two positions worked as counterpart capabilities between a TTO and each user. Practically, by constructing each technology transfer capability of two positions and investigating their status, this study can help managers and policymakers understand what they should manage to achieve successful technology transfer.