Technology transfer is becoming a critical factor in determining the speed of technological progress both of a geographical area and of industries, and in playing a critical role in long-term economic growth. For this reason, there has been a proliferation of infrastructures aimed at facilitating the diffusion of innovation both among firms and between universities and firms. Most of these structures, however, are characterised by a high percentage of fixed resources, in terms of physical assets and employees. This paper demonstrates the emerging role of more ‘flexible’ infrastructures, both as direct providers of services and as coordinators of existing, specialised infrastructures. The paper is structured into two sections. The first section presents a theoretical framework illustrating the different possible technology transfer patterns (in terms of kinds of source, recipients, characteristics of transferred knowledge, as well as infrastructures that should be involved). This variety of processes (each of them implying distinctive competences) inevitably leads to a proliferation of organisations, which seems to be the natural response to the need for tailored solutions. However, such structures often face serious cost troubles, mainly due to a lack of a critical mass of demand. Moreover, even in the presence of a sufficient level of demand, the ever-growing dynamics of innovation should dissuade one from allocating dedicated resources to very specialised support infrastructures, since the relative importance of the different technological competences changes rapidly and new knowledge is continuously required. What emerges from these considerations is the need for ‘lean’ infrastructures, characterised by a low level of fixed resources and hence by a high capacity to adapt to sudden changes in the environmental context. The second section of the paper describes how these considerations have been used for the design of a specific technology transfer infrastructure in the biomedical industry, called the experts' network. This initiative is part of Innovation Plaza, a joint project of Politecnico di Milano and the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, aimed at facilitating the flow of scientific knowledge from Politecnico University (and its associate research centres) to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in Lombardia. The objective of the experts' network is to provide SMEs with some preferential gateways to reach the world of academic research and gather useful information. The paper ends with an illustration of the early outcome of this particular initiative.