Government-sponsored Technology Research Articles

Using predictive decisionmaking to implement technology prizes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a system for regularly offered government-sponsored technology prizes. Such prizes would preserve the incentive to invent without the barriers to entry that come with the patent system. This is of particular interest to entrepreneurs as they lack the patent portfolio that incumbent firms can leverage into derivative technology.Design/methodology/approachAfter reviewing various efficiency concerns with the patent system, the author describes how technology prizes could work alongside the patent system. Such prizes are best when the sponsor can capture as much of the technology spillover as possible – i.e. through a government agency. This paper provides a framework for a practical prize structure while paying special attention to combating the logistical and public choice concerns of creating a prize.FindingsThis paper focuses on two methods to prevent inefficiency in government-sponsored prize: truth-bonding and information markets. Each mechanism helps combat different kinds of problems. Various complications to this system are explored and addressed.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests that an efficient prize system is a possible policy and, if implemented, would embolden technology-focused entrepreneurship and other subsequent technological development.Originality/valueWhile previous work has noted the benefits of technology prizes over patents, few attempts have been made to outline an incentive-compatible system for doing so. This paper is the first of its kind to propose a practical and efficient government-sponsored prize system.

Technology Mediation Programs and SME Innovative Activities

Government-sponsored technology mediation programs for SMEs are widely regarded as important elements in the constitution of innovation systems. These programs partially overcome the barriers that face SMEs in gaining access to new technologies, related to cost, resources and absorptive capacity. This study examines the impacts of a government-sponsored technology access program in Australia for SMEs in manufacturing, in the context of the sources of innovation more generally. The study finds that, while the program itself was seen as beneficial, the scope and value of benefits were unclear, as was the linkage between the program outputs and the broader innovative activities of the firms. Implications for program design are suggested.

Technology Mediation Programs and SME Innovative Activities

Government-sponsored technology mediation programs for SMEs are widely regarded as important elements in the constitution of innovation systems. These programs partially overcome the barriers that face SMEs in gaining access to new technologies, related to cost, resources and absorptive capacity. This study examines the impacts of a government-sponsored technology access program in Australia for SMEs in manufacturing, in the context of the sources of innovation more generally. The study finds that, while the program itself was seen as beneficial, the scope and value of benefits were unclear, as was the linkage between the program outputs and the broader innovative activities of the firms. Implications for program design are suggested.

HTSF Marketing and Customer Education: A Role for a Technology Awareness Programme?

Abstract This article looks at the rationale for government-sponsored technology awareness programmes in very new areas of technology, with special reference to virtual reality technology. For some high technology small firms (HTSFs) operating in new areas, marketing costs can be high even before sales are made because the HTSF has to invest in educating customers. If the pioneering firm does not appropriate the benefits of this investment because it does not make a sale—but later entrants do—then there is a positive externality that may in principle give rise to market failure. The article examines the relevance of the three traditional sources of market failure in this context. It finds that market failure provides a less compelling rationale for proactive policy than more recent evolutionary analyses of path-dependence in technology diffusion. The article shows how the optimal design of a technology awareness programme depends on the underlying economic rationale for the programme.

Adoption, diffusion, and public R&D

This paper studies the impact of public RD&D (Research, Development, and Demonstrations) on the market penetration of a new government-sponsored technology. First, the technology adoption behavior of a firm under uncertainty is reviewed. Secondly, the diffusion of the new technology in a competitive industry that benefits from learning-by-doing is analyzed. Numerical simulations are conducted to determine the effect that variations in government R&D policies have on the rate and level of market penetration. Productive R&D investments affect thelevel of diffusion and R&D demonstrations therate of diffusion.

Japan looks after the little guys (manufacturing industries)

The aid and support given to small manufacturers in Japan is described. It ranges from government-sponsored technology centers with large engineering staffs, which serve as free or almost free resources from companies with 300 workers or less, to favorable loans, credit guarantees, equipment leasing assistance, and tax incentives for new technology investments. These hundreds of thousands of small, flexible, technologically proficient manufacturers are a source of high-quality inputs and potential technology enhancements to large companies.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Improving the transfer of government-sponsored technology

Improving the transfer of government-sponsored technology