The Gender Dimension in German Knowledge and Technology Transfer: A Double-Edged Sword

Abstract

Best, Heidingsfelder and Schraudner are the first to rigorously investigate the position of the gender dimension in knowledge and technology transfer (KTT) in Germany. Following current definitions of the gender dimension and KTT, their method combined a comprehensive literature review and key informant interviews with KTT managers, KTT specialists, and academic entrepreneurs. Their findings suggest that the gender dimension is currently integrated in German KTT to a rather low degree. They indicate, moreover, that women and men in KTT have very different interpretative repertoires and that the perception of roles, processes, and cultures in KTT are gendered. Simultaneously, an impending cultural shift can be observed. The authors develop starting points to improve the integration of the gender dimension and women in German KTT. The results of the analysis can be transferred to a number of other Western countries.