Knowledge Transfer Policy Research Articles

Toward a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Qatar

This study aims to contribute to the empirical literature on sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems by understanding the opportunities and constraints to support its development using the case of Qatar. This study was designed using a triangulation method to combine different data collection techniques to increase the validity and reliability of the results. The data collection incorporated multiple data sources, starting with secondary sources and then collecting primary data through 37 interviews with key informants, mainly start-up founders and key stakeholders, a technique previously used in studies of critical players in entrepreneurial ecosystems. The findings were four-fold: (1) entrepreneurial ecosystem conditions are essential as facilitators of entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability, but government intervention can inhibit the outputs if the policies are not designed as customer-centric, (2) business sophistication is fundamental to increase innovation and attractiveness for investors but requires a stronger academic, industry, and government collaboration, (3) knowledge and technology outputs are limited when the domestic market is small, and the knowledge transfer policies are complex, and (4) the sustainability of an entrepreneurial ecosystem is fostered by the exposure to a crisis, robust national culture, and joint vision to reach sustainable development. This study provides evidence that shows a positive relationship between innovation and sustainable economic development, which makes this research even more relevant to our aim of supporting the Qatar National Vision 2030; at the same time, it contributes to the GCC literature and guides policymakers in the region.

Synergy Analysis of Knowledge Transfer for the Energy Sector within the Framework of Sustainable Development of the European Countries

The target for 2030 of reaching a 32% share of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption can be achieved by speeding up the transformation pending the implementation of knowledge transfer (KT) policies that foster regional cooperation for the cost-effective development of renewables. The research purpose is the analysis of important factors in the development of the renewable energy sector through knowledge sharing and collaboration across the Member States in a comparable manner. The hypotheses are as follows: Hypothesis 1 (H1) there are synergies between knowledge transfer and economic impact through income and jobs for the renewable energy sector and Hypothesis 2 (H2) the EU countries have different profiles of synergy. The research proposition was established through the employment of a quantitative synergy and trade-offs analysis based on the knowledge transfer indicators and the sustainable development framework. The research method, namely the advanced sustainability analysis (ASA), uses the quantitative assessment tool for the understanding of synergies between two or three dimensions of sustainable development, presuming that the combined effect of the factors is greater than the sum of their individual effects. The current research comprises an evaluation of the renewable energy sector knowledge transfer policy models at the national level for 24 EU countries and four other European states, focusing on the capabilities to create synergies. The results of the study represent a valuable input for the policy makers, allowing for a coherent and sustainable planning and programming of the new electricity market, adopted through the Clean Energy Package, and following a highly dynamic and radically disruptive background, exploiting the ‘successful’ profiles.

Influential factors for successful knowledge transfer in restaurant franchises

This study examines the factors that influence successful knowledge transfer (KT) in restaurant franchises. First, this study aims to identify the relationships among franchisors' capabilities of KT, franchisees' willingness to acquire knowledge, and franchisees' performance. Second, it is to identify the mediation effects of franchisees' willingness to engage on KT. Third, it is to examine a moderating effect of restaurant type on the relationship between franchisors' capabilities of KT and franchisees' willingness to acquire KT. Data was collected from 119 franchisees. The results suggest that when franchisors have greater capability and willingness to transfer knowledge and comply with policies for KT, franchisees' willingness to acquire KT increases. Further, franchisees' willingness to acquire knowledge have a positive effect on their performance of KT. Franchisees' willingness to acquire knowledge also mediates the relationship between franchisors' capabilities and franchisees' performance of KT. Finally, restaurant type moderates the relationship between franchisors' capabilities of KT and franchisees’ willingness to acquire knowledge.

Knowledge management and knowledge transfer in arts and crafts organizations: evidence from an exploratory multiple case-study analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse and discuss five longitudinal case studies in which the authors have investigated how, in a specific subset of the creative industry, i.e. the arts and crafts organizations, knowledge can be systematized and transferred, becoming a real source of competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachAs no prior empirical research on the relationship among knowledge, knowledge transfer the role of craftsmen is available, an exploratory, qualitative research design seems advisable to study the phenomenon in detail. In setting up a multiple case study, the authors established a sampling frame of criteria associated with the theoretical background and research interest of this study: the case firms had to be arts and crafts organizations well-known for the high quality and value of their artifacts and have a solid reputation for preserving the tradition and the uniqueness of their manufacturing processes.FindingsIt has emerged the importance of craftsmen within arts and crafts organizations, whose know-how and technical skills are high valued by colleagues, by the market (customers), within the society and the territory where they operate. The knowledge acquired and retained by the craftsmen becomes therefore crucial for the survival of the arts and crafts organizations and for their profitability in the long term.Research limitations/implicationsFrom the empirical investigation, it has emerged a certain unawareness at managerial level of the strategic relevance of the craftsmen knowhow and skills and of how to practically and effectively transfer their knowledge to a future generation of young craftsmen to continue to satisfy a unique and exclusive market demand. Furthermore, it has emerged the lack of a common knowledge transfer policy to different organizations. Therefore, it has not been possible to define a standard framework for the knowledge transfer process because it is influenced by the organizational structure, the management style of the organization owner (very often a family that retains the totality of the organization shares/quota), the social context and the territory where the organization is located, as well as the target market and the specific niche of customers who buy the organization’s products. This result represents a potential threat for the survival of arts and crafts organizations in the long run.Practical implicationsA common result that has emerged is that craftsmen play a crucial role for the success of arts and crafts organizations, through the creation and production of exclusive, high value products; hence, it is crucial to preserve and transfer properly their knowhow and skills. This result is particularly relevant for the world of practice: in a time where globalization demands for the relocation of production processes and technology automates several job tasks, the variegated world of arts and crafts, where the handmade abilities and skills of craftsmen cannot be replicate, imitate or standardize, becomes extremely important for the economy of several countries, among which Italy.Social implicationsAt social level, the activity of arts and crafts organizations help preserve the uniqueness and exclusivity of the heritage and culture of the territory where they are located, and reflect the tradition of such territory, the knowhow and ability of its inhabitants and help preserve this unique reservoir of competences and knowhow.Originality/valueThe contribution builds on the lack of practical understanding of the relationship between knowledge and the role played by craftsmen in the knowledge transfer process within arts and crafts organizations, and how effective such process is realized. This because despite the interest of many authors toward both knowledge management and transfer within the creative industry, there is a lack of studies aimed at linking systematically these two research areas. This is a relevant issue since knowledge in creative industries mainly refers to the traditions and values at the basis of an organization’s culture, tends to manifest itself in a tacit way and is difficult to analyze because it mainly exists in the mind of individuals as the result of their working experience not expressed in an explicit form.

The impact on development of technology and knowledge transfer in Chinese MNEs in sub-Saharan Africa: The Ghanaian case

The presence of Chinese multinational enterprises in Africa brings with it new technology and knowledge. Yet there is a lack of research on the impact of this on development in African countries. China's recent industrial development may be more appropriate for Africa's development than Western models, and the adoption of technological knowledge from Chinese firms may provide a more sustainable path to Africa's future development because of cultural, institutional, social and historical synergies. However, there may be major barriers to transferring appropriate technology and knowledge. Findings from our study in the construction industry in Ghana suggest an absence of specific technology and knowledge transfer policies and strategies, with human resource development practices, language and some cultural issues also creating barriers. Bidding practices of Chinese firms investigated also appear to militate against successful technology and knowledge transfers to local partners and staff. Yet there appears unrealised potential that has not been addressed by firms. We suggest measures that may be taken to realise this potential and point to implications for policy and future research on the development potential of China in Africa.

Knowledge Transfer in the Cultural and Creative Sector: Institutional Aspects and Perspectives from Actors in Selected Atlantic Regions

The 21st century has witnessed a growth in the importance given to the third mission of Higher Education Institutions (HEI). This third mission refers to the socioeconomic engagement with the surrounding social and business fabric, namely in the form of knowledge transfer (KT) schemes and policies. Despite its widely-recognized importance, the Cultural and Creative Sector (CCS) has remained only marginally engaged with HEI, in part due to the lack of explicit policy by public actors to bring the two types of actors together. This article seeks to explore the institutional frameworks that have been developed for knowledge transfer from HEI to the CCS in selected regions of the Atlantic Area. Towards this goal, it first analyses some of the sectoral specificities of the CCS, identifying three feature which distinguish the sector: the entrepreneurial structure and organization of CCS; the type of knowledge, innovation and motivations of firms; and their absence of connections to HEI. The article seeks then to analyze to what extent existing policy on CCS and KT policies in the regions has tackled these specificities, through a qualitative analysis of reports, policy documents, and academic analysis of the regional economies, before proposing a model for understanding KT policy in the CCS sector, which serves as a preliminary line of inquiry into the knowledge relations in the CCS. Finally, these policy concerns are related to the perceptions of CCS practitioners, attempting to understand the primary concerns of these actors according to their regional context. The article highlights the existing disconnect between public policy, the current state of understanding of the CCS and the industry actors, urging for greater research and policy-development to promote innovation and socioeconomic growth.

‘Value-in’ partnership: Common ground and difference in university knowledge transfer policy and research

This study is set in the context of growing evidence of a frustrated UK policy aim for a fully fledged university third stream and particular issues of stakeholder engagement, management, measurement and resource allocation. Whilst university knowledge transfer is framed by a discourse of mixed metaphors, this research demonstrates the conceptual and practical value of the partnership metaphor, and associated concepts of common ground and difference between partners. This exploratory study identifies shared and different conceptions of academic and associate partners engaged in the UK policy mechanism of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). Importantly it identifies that common and different conceptions of partners offer valuable insights for issues of engagement, management, measurement and resource allocation in third-stream policy. Conclusions suggest to researchers and policy-makers not just that common ground and difference inherent in the concept of partnership should be recognized and managed, but rather that these dimensions should be regarded as valuable sources of knowledge in the KTP process itself: there is value in partnership.

The construction of unbalanced innovation policies in Catalonia (Spain)

The article analyses the evolution of innovation policies in Catalonia between the 1980s and 2016–2017. From a broad perspective, innovation policies include from research, technology and knowledge transfer policies, to industrial and competitiveness policies. The analysis examines at the micro level the main actors in the innovation policy, and at the macro level the institutional order related to government, business system, industrial structure and innovation-related public and private institutions. The analysis shows: the micro field has been dominated by few key actors, such as academic economists, large companies and university research groups; at the macro institutional order, regional government has displayed a quite centralised decision-making in contrast to a weak industrial civil society and low innovation-related public-private collaboration. The result has been a rather unbalanced policy evolution that has favoured science and research in detriment of innovation and industry, especially business and production related technological innovation.

Characteristics and determinants of knowledge transfer policies at universities and public institutions in medical research--protocol for a systematic review of the qualitative research literature.

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.

Groundwater Protection, Risk Awareness, Knowledge Transfer and Public Health: The Role of “Future Custodians”

A survey of young adults was conducted at several 3rd level agricultural institutions across Ireland over a 6-month period. The results from the agri-student survey were compared and contrasted with those of an identical survey of private well owners. Students (n = 246) scored significantly lower than well owners (n = 245) in two developed metrics, namely “groundwater source awareness” and “groundwater contamination awareness” (p < 0.001). Future “environmental custodians” are not well informed of the human health risks associated with poor groundwater management or of potential amelioration procedures. For example, just 7 % of young respondents exhibited an awareness of the purpose or presence of a sanitary seal; while only 17.5 % were aware of the presence or purpose of a well liner. Results suggest that neither intergenerational nor institutional knowledge transfer pertaining to groundwater protection or drinking water quality is prevalent. A Bayesian clustering method identified four distinct “awareness groups” within an amalgamated dataset (n = 476). Clusters comprised four predictors: presence of an elderly householder (predictor importance = 0.91), residence within the household during well design (predictor importance = 0.55), presence of an infant or young child (≤5 years) in the household (predictor importance = 0.48) previous instance of gastrointestinal illness or symptoms within the household (predictor importance = 0.31) The results of this research may be used to inform future risk management, communication and knowledge transfer policies, which are currently required to ensure the safeguarding of private groundwater supplies both in Ireland and further afield.

Open to change: knowledge transfer policy reception in a new university in Scotland

In the past 10 years, higher education (HE) systems in many parts of the world have experienced the emergence and development of policies for knowledge transfer (KT). These policies have established KT as the ‘third stream’ of the university's activities after teaching and research and reflect attempts to make universities more responsive to the needs of the new knowledge economy (KE). These developments may be seen as a global policy trend towards extracting a greater contribution from universities to the economy and society as a whole. At the same time, contextual factors that reflect local histories and meanings have an impact on how such policy is taken up. This article examines the reception of KT policy discourse in a new university in Scotland in order to illustrate the power of discursive shifts to effect the re-definition of the university in an environment with strong civic traditions, and where there is considerable synergy between policy directions and institutional management aims.

Running risks of gender inequity: knowledge transfer policy in Australian higher education

Knowledge transfer (KT), or third stream activities of universities, has attracted attention from funding and regulatory bodies in recent years. While approaches differ from country to country, moves to improve measurement and monitoring of such activities with a view to encourage or better direct it have occurred in several settings. This article analyses some issues arising from moves to define and measure KT in an Australian university. There are tensions between approaches to definition and measurement that focus on research commercialisation and those that acknowledge the benefit derived from broader activities of universities. We argue that budgetary pressures which focus attention on commercialisation can lead to the adoption of KT policy that is likely to have harmful consequences for academic staff in the long term. In particular, policy with a priority on commercial benefit has the potential to reinforce the existing disadvantage of female staff by according lower value to work directed to public or community benefit, and focusing on successful outcomes rather than the time and effort needed for KT development. These issues need to be considered in developing policy to define and measure KT.

Triple translation: academic and managerial discourses of knowledge transfer policy in a new university in Scotland

Higher education systems in many parts of the world are experiencing the emergence of policies for knowledge transfer (KT). KT policy discourse reflects attempts to make universities more responsive to the needs of the knowledge economy and can be seen as a trend towards extracting a greater contribution from universities to the economy and society as a whole. This paper explores some of the practical tensions associated with operationalisation of KT policy with an institutional case study. Discourse analysis of university documents, and interviews with managers and academics, highlight the struggle between policymakers and academics around development of a KT strategy. The case reveals the potential pitfalls of adopting a commercially-oriented approach to KT in a service-oriented academic community. Effectively capturing the academic community's sense of service to the community in policy design may be one way of ensuring success and ensuring that KT policy is not ‘lost in translation’.

The evaluation of policies for knowledge transfer: some emerging issues

Governments in western countries are seeing Universities as the key actor to promote a transition to a knowledge-based economy that can help the future competitiveness challenges posed by new entrants in the global market. In this context, specific industrial policies are designed to promote a transfer of technology, and a more general transfer of knowledge from universities to firms, in order to favour innovation, that is the economic exploitation and commercialisation of new products and processes generated by inventions within universities. Although the use of these policies is rapidly expanding, the same cannot be said of the evaluation efforts made to understand the effects of the reforms promoted in western economies. This paper offers a contribution to the existing literature and highlights some key open issues on which future research can build in order to improve the knowledge on the effectiveness of reforms we are witnessing, in particular in the U.S. and in Europe.

The knowledge exchange intermediary as service provider: a discussion and an Australian case

The critical impact of innovation on national and the global economies has been discussed at length in the literature. Economic development requires the diffusion of innovations into markets. It has long been recognised that economic growth and development depends upon a constant stream of innovations. Governments have been keenly aware of the need to ensure this flow does not dry to a trickle and have introduced many and varied industry policies and interventions to assist in seeding, supporting and diffusing innovations. In Australia, as in many countries, Government support for the transfer of knowledge especially from publicly funded research has resulted in the creation of knowledge exchange intermediaries. These intermediaries are themselves service organisations, seeking innovative service offerings for their markets. The choice for most intermediaries is generally a dichotomous one, between market-pull and technology-push knowledge exchange programmes. In this article, we undertake a case analysis of one such innovative intermediary and its flagship programme. We then compare this case with other successful intermediaries in Europe. We put forward a research proposition that the design of intermediary programmes must match the service type they offer. That is, market-pull programmes require market-pull design, in close collaboration with industry, whereas technology programmes can be problem-solving innovations where demand is latent. The discussion reflects the need for an evolution in knowledge transfer policies and programmes beyond the first generation ushered in with the US Bayh–Dole Act (1980) and Stevenson–Wydler Act (1984). The data analysed is a case study comparison of market-pull and technology-push programmes, focusing on primary and secondary socio-economic benefits (using both Australian and international comparisons).

The influence of co-location in higher education institutions on small firms’ perspectives of knowledge transfer

Knowledge transfer (KT) has been identified as an essential element of innovation that drives competitive advantage in increasingly knowledge-driven economies and in which small firms have an important part to play. A number of recent UK Government reports have sought to increase awareness of the importance of KT within higher education institutions (HEIs). In light of this, there is an urgent need for relevant empirical research that examines how KT policy is translated into practice, particularly in the area of small firms. This paper responds to this need by reporting on in-depth longitudinal case studies of small firms co-located in a high profile HEI ‘centre of excellence’ for research and development (R&D) and commercialization of information and communications technologies (ICT) in the Northwest of England. The paper seeks to explore what is it that the SMEs are getting out of this co-location and more specifically the research asks, how do the views of entrepreneurs change over time? Five main themes are identified, namely: (1) increased strategic focus; (2) awareness of core competences; (3) enhanced R&D activities; (4) importance of both technical and business support; (5) the need for a knowledge database to facilitate KT. The study concludes by highlighting the need for more structured yet flexible approaches to KT activities in order to meet the needs of entrepreneurs for different kinds of support at different times in the development of their businesses.

Multiple Perspectives on the Challenges for Knowledge Transfer between Higher Education Institutions and Industry

Knowledge transfer (KT) has been identified as an essential element of innovation, driving competitive advantage in increasingly knowledge-driven economies, and as a result recent UK Government reports have sought to increase awareness of the importance of KT within higher education institutions (HEIs).There is therefore a need for relevant empirical research that examines, from multiple perspectives, how KT policy is translated into practice within HEI contexts.This article responds to this need by presenting an in-depth qualitative case study based on over 50 semi-structured interviews with university-based academic and non-academic participants and representatives of small firms involved in InfoLab21, a high profile `centre of excellence' for research, development and commercialization of information and communications technology (ICT) in north-west England, UK. The study considers what the key practices of KT are and what promotes and/or hinders their development. Four overarching themes are identified: (1) motivation and reward mechanisms; (2) process management and evaluation; (3) clustering and brokerage; and (4) trust and bridge building. Each theme is considered from multiple perspectives and areas for further research are suggested.

New Terms of Research and Knowledge Production in Scotland: The discourse of knowledge transfer

In the past 10 years the Scottish higher education sector has experienced the emergence and continual development of policies for knowledge transfer. This policy partly parallels the wider UK higher education policy agenda and its focus on the “third mission” (i.e. the rate and extent to which universities disseminate knowledge and how commercial organizations can capitalize on it). However, the policy texts on knowledge transfer are, to varying degrees, inflected with content reflecting the specificities of the Scottish context. This paper emerges from research1 focused on this context and explores critically the ways in which the discourse of knowledge transfer has emerged and how knowledge, knowledge production, and the dissemination of knowledge have been constructed here.

Travelling and embedded policy: the case of knowledge transfer

Knowledge transfer (KT) has entered the higher education arena in the UK as the ‘third sector’ of higher education activity—along with research and teaching. Its antecedents lie in the commercialization and technology transfer of the late 1980s and 1990s, and this business‐like orientation remains dominant in the KT policy discourse. This paper explores the extent to which policy for KT may be understood both as ‘travelling’ policy shaped by globalizing trends in pursuit of successful competition in the new knowledge economy (KE) and as ‘embedded’ policy mediated by local contextual factors that may translate policy to reflect local priorities and meanings. In considering evidence of ‘embedded’ policy the paper develops its arguments through preliminary analysis of KT policy in Scotland where—at least at the level of discourse—there is an attempt in post‐devolution Scotland to encourage KT in the broader public interest. However, KT’s antecedents may continue to shape the engagement of academic staff in Scotland, as may the wider context of UK policy steering in higher education.

Les essaimages académiques dans le secteur de l'informatique en France : Effets institutionnels, effets de territoire ou construction des acteurs locaux ?

Résumé Cet article s’interroge sur les déterminants des essaimages issus de la recherche publique. Il s’agit de comprendre dans quelle mesure la création de sociétés technologiques issues du système académique dépend d’effets institutionnels, des dynamiques territoriales ou des savoirs et des expertises produits par/encastrés dans les acteurs locaux. Cette analyse est effectuée à partir de l’étude des essaimages issus d’une même politique de transfert des résultats de la recherche au niveau national - celle de l’Institut de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA) - appliquée au même secteur de l’informatique mais à des environnements locaux différents : celui du département de l’Isère ; celui de la technopole de Sophia-Antipolis.