Technology Transfer Initiatives Research Articles

Strategy of Russian Military Cooperation with the Countries of the Arab Region

The article undertakes an analysis of the prospective domains of Russian military collaboration with Arab countries against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties. Despite maintaining its position as the second-largest arms exporter globally, Russia has experienced a proportional decline in its share of the global arms market. Nevertheless, a discernible uptick in the trade volume of conventional weaponry, coupled with cyclical enhancements in the tactical and technical attributes of military assets, reflects positive momentum in this sector. Amid prevailing external constraints and a noticeable scarcity of contemporary Russian weaponry in burgeoning segments of the arms market, Russia necessitates resolute and equitable measures to uphold and fortify collaborative ties with partner nations. Within this context, particular emphasis is placed on Russia's strategic military cooperation with Arab states, given the region's status as a focal point of geopolitical interests for major economies and a primary destination for arms imports.The article scrutinizes Russia's competitive standing in the arms and military equipment markets of the Arab world, acknowledging the region's significance as a pivotal importer of such goods. Employing a multifaceted evaluation encompassing absolute and relative statistical metrics and derived indices, the study assesses the region's role in global arms procurement. Moreover, it offers an appraisal of the existing state and potential avenues for enhancing the efficacy of the Russian-Arab military-technical collaboration framework. The discourse delves into the transformative prospects of this partnership within the framework of networkcentric warfare concepts. Furthermore, the article elucidates the principal risks inherent in military cooperation among nations at present, highlighting concerns regarding the possible manipulation of military-technical cooperation mechanisms to serve as leverage in furthering the geopolitical aspirations of specific stakeholders.In conclusion, the study posits forward-looking trajectories for bolstering bilateral relations, both sectorally and geographically. These include initiatives such as expanding licensing, leasing, offset transactions, and technology transfer initiatives; advocating for fifth-generation fighter aircraft and long-range radar detection and control systems, leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies; and prioritizing the training of foreign specialists.

Some (relatively) new conceptual ‘frames’ supplementing the study of human capital in rural sociology

The article continues the authors’ thoughts about the necessary conceptual frameworks that would help rural sociology provide more reliable insights and data in the study of such a relatively new (in the conceptual-analytical perspective) social phenomenon as rural human capital. In the previous article, we presented a brief overview of such half-forgotten but still relevant theoretical foundations of rural sociology as agricultural economics, theories of peasant agrarianism, and theory of rural-urban continuum, which to a greater or lesser extent can be applied in the analysis of rural development and rural social and human capital. In this article, we provide a brief overview of some more recent agrarian ideas that seem to have sufficient but questionable heuristic potential for rural sociology. First, the idea and repeatedly tested projects of the Green Revolution, or the Third Agricultural Revolution, which implied technology transfer initiatives to greatly increase crop yields, opposed the concept of “Red Revolution” (comprehensive agrotechnological transformations instead of radical political ones), despite some skeptical assessments, in the last decades of the 20th century contributed to the reduction in global hunger, and, especially in its Soviet interpretations, seemed to be consonant with the more recent intellectual direction - development studies. Second, Peasant Studies defending the position that the very question about the need for a special theory of the peasantry and peasant societies is untenable, and presenting an attempt to develop a middlerange theory within historical sociology, which is based on the four most important characteristics of the peasantry in the past and present: family economy, work on land in interaction with nature, local culture of self-organization (rural community), and marginal role in relation to the state. Today’s disputes about the peasantry in the contemporary world are complemented by two macroconcepts - theory of international food regimes and theory of global rural development. Thus, we still miss unambiguous theoretical generalizations regarding rural development due to the extreme diversity of both rural areas (and their social/human capital) and interpretations/definitions of rural/agricultural development (for instance, deagrarianization and extractivism or rural-urban glocalization and optimistic “unorthodox” social-ecological model).

A comprehensive review on technology transfer

In the evolving corporate world, there's a growing focus on leveraging technological assets through technology transfer, a trend fueled by globalization, economic liberalization, and stronger intellectual property rights since the World Trade Organization's inception. These factors have integrated technology transfer as a critical aspect of the global business framework. However, the process of technology transfer is complex, and transferees often lack the necessary skills for effective management. While existing literature extensively covers these topics, it notably lacks practical solutions for these challenges. To bridge this gap, this paper introduces a novel "Life Cycle Approach for Planning and Implementing a Technology Transfer Project." This approach is designed to help avoid common pitfalls and address key management issues in technology transfer. The study begins by exploring the concept of technology transfer and reviews several existing models. It evaluates their pros and cons, leading to the proposition of the "Life Cycle Approach." This innovative model is intended to resolve frequent problems encountered by technology transferees, providing a structured methodology for managing technology transfer initiatives. The paper concludes with a mention of a project by the UNESCAP Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), which utilizes this Life-Cycle concept. This project exemplifies the approach's practicality in enhancing the Asia-Pacific region's technology transfer capabilities, highlighting its relevance and applicability in diverse global contexts.

Understanding Resource Recycling and Land Management to Upscale Zero-Tillage Potato Cultivation in the Coastal Indian Sundarbans

Upscaling sustainable intensification (SI) technologies is crucial to enhancing the resilience of fragile farming systems and vulnerable livelihoods of smallholder farmers. It is also critical to shape the future land-use and land-cover changes in a region. Zero-tillage potato cultivation (ZTPC), introduced as an SI intervention in parts of the Indian Sundarbans, has demonstrated promises of rapid upscaling, and thus, changes in the seasonal land-use pattern in the region. This study aims to understand the socioecological complexity of farming systems to comprehend how the nascent stage of ZTPC thrives at the farm level and what preconditions are necessary to upscale them. The objectives are to analyse the farm resource recycling pattern in ZTPC, and map and simulate its system’s complexity to strategize ZTPC upscaling in the region. The analysis of farm resource recycling data reveals that ZTPC stability hinges on managing trade-offs in resource allocations, specifically involving straw, organic manure, sweet water, and family labour. The decision to manage such trade-offs depends on farm type characterizations by their landholdings, distance from the homestead, pond, and cattle ownership, competing crops, and family composition. Using a semiquantitative systems model developed through fuzzy cognitive mapping, the study underscores the significance of effective training, input support, enterprise diversification by introducing livestock, timely tuber supply, access to critical irrigation, and capacity building of local institutions as the essential preconditions to sustain and upscale ZTPC. This research contributes a systems perspective to predict agricultural land use within technology transfer initiatives, providing insights into how farm- and extra-farm factors influence resource allocations for ZTPC. Public extension offices must understand the trade-offs associated with straw, organic matter, and harvested water and design differentiated supports for different farm types. The most compelling interventions to upscale ZTPC includes farm diversification by introducing livestock through institutional convergence, pragmatic agroforestry initiatives to enhance on-farm biomass and fuel production, building awareness and integrating alternative energy use to save straw and cow dung, building social capital to ensure access to sweet irrigation water, and developing and/or strengthening farmer collectives to ensure the supply of quality tuber and marketing of farm produce.

Great Hospitals of Central Asia: The Kazakhstan National Centre for Neurosurgery

This paper aimed to describe the National Centre for Neurosurgery, the only specialized hospital in the treatment of neurological diseases in Kazakhstan and the leading neurosurgical hospital in Central Asia. Historical data were collected from the archive materials of the National Centre for Neurosurgery. The paper outlines the achievements of the Centre in providing neurosurgical care to the population over the past 15years, commencing with its establishment in 2008. During this period, there has been a 2.3-fold increase in the number of neurosurgeons at the Centre, accompanied by a significant seven-fold rise in the number of surgeries conducted. Additionally, the Centre has hosted international conferences and educational programs in collaboration with the Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies. Throughout the last 15years, more than 70 treatment techniques were introduced, and subsequent technology transfer initiatives extended these methods to regions within the country. The National Centre for Neurosurgery has achieved remarkable progress in delivering patient-centered neurosurgical care, rehabilitation programs, and innovative treatments, supported by state funding, benefitting patients across Central Asia.

Pengembangan Kewirausahaan Ecoprint Berbasis Smart Steamer Machine Guna Meningkatkan Kualitas Produk dan Efisiensi

Ecoprint, a fabric printing and dyeing technique utilizing natural dyes with leaves, is currently experiencing a surge in demand and becoming a trend among fashion entrepreneurs and textile craftsmen. The unique patterns created from leaves distinguish ecoprint from traditional batik designs in the market, making it highly appealing. Apietz Craft, a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), was established at the beginning of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mostly operated by residents of Jl. Hasyim Ashari II, Sepanjang Village, Gondanglegi District, Malang Regency, the business faced challenges during the ecoprint fabric steaming process. The issues stemmed from the small size of the steaming pot and the lack of temperature control, leading to a decline in fabric quality. These obstacles hindered the ecoprint production process, resulting in suboptimal outcomes. In response to these challenges, this PKM program proposes a solution by introducing a technology transfer initiative. A smart steamer machine will be implemented, designed to accommodate a larger capacity and capable of monitoring temperature within the machine. This advancement aims to enhance production quality and improve production efficiency. The initiative is expected to address the current issues faced by our partner, enabling them to achieve optimal ecoprint fabric production.
 Keywords: Smart Steamer Machine, Ecoprint, Development Entrepreneurship

Technology transfer initiatives

Technology transfer initiatives

Bridging the low-carbon technology gap? Assessing energy initiatives for the Global South

Many developing countries have made their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) conditional on receiving climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building support. Due to a lack of engagement from the private sector, countries from the ‘Global South’ face continued challenges in accessing low-carbon finance and technology. Technology transfer initiatives, including public-private partnerships or intellectual property rights (IPR) sharing platforms, have been suggested to bridge this ‘low-carbon technology gap’ and promote the technology transfer needed for energy systems transformation. This paper assesses whether such initiatives address the technology gap, as well as other imperatives such as climate justice or carbon lock-in prevention. The paper finds that many low-carbon technology transfer initiatives focus on transferring multiple kinds of technologies to countries that are facing electricity access and governance challenges. Yet these initiatives do not all address the key capacity-building components of knowledge transfer, and countries with poor intellectual property rights (IPR) protections have fewer initiatives on average. Initiatives are also observed less frequently in climate-vulnerable countries. To meet the Paris climate goals, there is an urgent need for the international community to address the low-carbon technology gap by mainstreaming technology transfer into trade and finance.

Technology Transfer of COVID-19 Vaccines: Opportunities and Challenges

A solution to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic is the mass production of vaccines. Safe and effective vaccine development is one avenue to combat the ongoing pandemic. However, although the WHO has approved several vaccines for emergency use, developing and least-developed countries are still in an unfavorable position as they cannot secure those vaccines. Technology transfer initiatives are one solution to speed up the production process. Nevertheless, this proposal is still a work in progress. Despite the willingness of developing and least developed countries to manufacture the vaccine, several challenges, such as infrastructure and intellectual property rights, are hindering the technology transfer process.
 Keywords: technology transfer, COVID-19, vaccine development, vaccine inequality

Team Disseminative Capacity: Exploring the Role of Collaborative Processes in Creating, Implementing, and Embedding New Knowledge

Organizations strongly rely on their teams’ abilities to absorb and disseminate knowledge to remain innovative. Prior research has focused primarily on knowledge absorption and the few studies investigating disseminative capacity (DCAP) identified disseminator and recipient characteristics as contributing factors toward effective organizational knowledge transfer. This study investigates the concept of team DCAP by shifting the focus to the role of disseminator–recipient interactions and collaborations during the dissemination process. Adopting a process perspective, we examine five technology transfer initiatives within a large multinational firm in Australia by collecting narratives from 34 members of both disseminating and recipient teams on the emergent processes through which each technology is created, transferred, and embedded at the recipient site. Findings reveal that in instances when knowledge is initially co-created through perspective taking and collective sensemaking among disseminators and recipients, such collaborations have a spill-over effect and continue throughout subsequent implementation and embedding processes, resulting in more effective transfer initiatives. This study contributes new and important insights for transforming the role of recipients from passive receivers of knowledge at the end of the transfer process as often depicted in previous studies, to active collaborators from the very beginning of the transfer process, starting with knowledge co-creation.

Fostering the development of the entrepreneurial university: how PhD students create new ventures and are involved in technology transfer activities

ABSTRACT The literature on Entrepreneurial University has emphasised the importance of encouraging and supporting the entrepreneurial intent of students, both PhDs and undergraduates. However, more research is needed about how PhD students can be supported in their entrepreneurial and technology transfer initiatives. This study seeks to contribute to this field by investigating how the entrepreneurial intent and entrepreneurial education of PhDs can impact their creation of new ventures and their involvement in technology transfer activities. With this objective, we use a unique dataset of 396 PhD students enrolled in Italian universities. The results show that higher levels of entrepreneurial intention of PhDs lead to a higher number of new ventures and higher involvement in TT activities. Furthermore, our findings also show that entrepreneurship education encourages PhDs to create new ventures only through increased entrepreneurial intention. Finally, education on technology transfer directly pushes them to be more involved in commercialisation activities.

Management of waste from the pruning of urban greenery. Experiences in São Paulo, Brazil

The waste management of urban greenery is directly related to the sustainability of cities. Architects, designers, managers, and entrepreneurs have used woody residues creatively, in innovative business models, focusing on the transition to a circular economy. This article presents a systemic analysis of experiences on the theme, with an emphasis on the use of woody residues, from the design perspective, taking the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, as the locus of investigation. The research covers: consolidation of the theoretical knowledge, bibliographic review on guidelines, best practices and production flow models, and the diagnosis of four local initiatives. The results demonstrate the relevant role of design as an inducer of new business models, as well as the importance of universities, in knowledge dissemination, technology transfer, and new initiatives proposals, with multiplier effects.

Joint Effect of Knowledge and Process Embodied Technology Transfer on the Growth of Catering Micro and Small Catering Enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya

Globally, the small business sector has both the potential and the historic task of bringing millions of people from the survivalist level including the informal economy to the mainstream economy. To enhance this fact, Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) have invested in new technology resulting to experienced marked growth on terms of customers and profits. Among the prominent Technology transfer initiatives are knowledge and process embodied technology. However, no study has investigated the joint effect of knowledge and process embodied technology transfer on Micro and small enterprises growth. The specific objective of the study was to determine the joint effect of knowledge and processes of technology transfer on the growth of micro and small catering enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya. This study adopted descriptive research with mixed approaches. This method facilitated information among the Catering MSEs in Kenya. The target population of the study involved 11,162 respondents from the catering MSEs in Kenya. The study target population included Medium Restaurant, Small Restaurant with bar/Membership club, Mega eating houses, Snack Bar, Tea House ‘Hotel’, Medium eating House, Snack Bar Tea House ‘Hotel’, Small eating House, Snack bar, Tea House and ‘Other Catering and Accommodation’ in Kenya. The study involved both Stratified and simple random sampling method in the selection of the samples. A sample size of 384 was selected. The study utilized questionnaires as the main instrument of data collection. Pilot testing was carried out to establish both reliability and validity of research instruments. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. The Inferential statistical analysis of the results was done to determine whether or not there is a statistical relationship established between growth (the dependent variable) and the independent variables on the basis of the research questions. The study used the Logistic (or Logit) regression to establish the effects of the independent variables to enterprise growth. A summary of findings shows that individually and collectively, knowledge and processes transfer production are a significant predictor of firm growth. However, a combination of the two produced even greater results of growth. The study concluded that the joint effect of knowledge and processes of technology transfer leads to a higher growth than individual variables in micro and small catering enterprises in Kenya.

University knowledge spillover from an open innovation technology transfer context

ABSTRACT University research output is a recognised source of new knowledge in spillover theory, targeted by governments and other stakeholders to support regional economic development. This paper reflects upon the ‘AgorIP’ Technology Transfer initiative, examining how a University can support knowledge spillover within an innovation ecosystem. The paper aims to contribute to understanding of how local characteristics moderate knowledge spillover-supported new enterprise. AgorIP supports entrepreneurship, extending academic traditional technology transfer to also harness health system research output. This paper extends contextual spillover research through university and regional policy, by examining AgorIP’s portfolio of completed projects and current partners. The findings present spatial concentration within the local region, with focus on targeted smart specialisations, including Life Sciences & Health. The post-industrial peripheral nature of the region makes AgorIP’s context of potential interest to others looking to harness the potential of university and other public research organisations in developing knowledge-based enterprise.

A Dive into the AgriTech World: Technologies and Adoption Incentives

In this column, rather than taking a trip to a geographical location, the author explore the world of AgriTech, shedding light on the currently available technology assets and on some of the hurdles any technology transfer initiative in this domain is facing, slowing down adoption of ICT in agriculture. Through this journey the author will therefore at first take a look at the landscape of technology enablers supporting the vision of an upcoming fourth agricultural revolution, while in the second part the author will juxtapose a picture of what the world of potential adopters looks like, identifying what are the adoption showstoppers.

The Activity of the Convention Structures of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to Promote Technology Transfer

Introduction: in the context of increasing the role of technology transfer in achieving the sustainable development goals, the importance of scientific and technological cooperation within the framework of the Convention cooperation is increasing. The aim of the study is to develop a comprehensive proposal on the systemic interaction of the Convention structures of the UN Convention on Biodiversity in promoting the transfer of biotechnologies for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The objectives of the study are: 1) to carry out a consistent analysis of the development perspective of technology transfer at the level of meetings of the Conference of the Parties, in the activities of the Executive Secretary, the Subsidiary body on scientific, technical and technological advice and the Clearing-House Mechanism; 2) to reveal promising areas of the Convention cooperation on facilitating the biotechnology transfer. Methods: the general scientific methods (systemic, structural and functional) and specific scientific methods (comparative law, dogmatic legal). Results: the Convention structures of the Convention on Biodiversity, treating the technology transfer as a multi-component process, develop and implement measures to promote it on the basis of taking into account the technological needs, creating an enabling environment and appropriate information exchange. The CBD Convention process is open to other Convention and non-Convention technology transfer initiatives governed by the Convention in order to achieve synergies. Conclusions: the CBD Convention Bodies play a crucial role in enhancing the cooperation among all stakeholders, as well as identifying the gaps and eliminating the duplication of the international biotechnology transfer initiatives in line with the objectives of the Convention.

The mismatch between the in-country determinants of technology transfer, and the scope of technology transfer initiatives under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Despite decades of international political emphasis, little is known about the in-country determinants of technology transfer for climate change mitigation. We draw upon the conclusions of a series of standardised, official governmental statements of technology priorities, coupled with questionnaire-based data collection, to shed light on the nature of those determinants. We find that there is a disconnect between what developing country governments perceive as the key enablers of, and barriers to, technology transfer, and what bilateral and multilateral technology transfer programmes can offer, given budgetary constraints and the logic of development aid spending. We show that the well-established notion of making climate change mitigation actions an integral part of sound development plans is especially relevant for technology transfer. We offer pointers as to how this might be done in practice, in the context of the ‘technology action plans’ developed as part of the United Nations-sponsored technology needs assessment process.

Green Revolution: A Review

The Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between 1943 and the late 1970s in Mexico, which increased industrialized agriculture production in many developing nations. The initiatives involved the development of high-yielding cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, and distribution of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to farmers. The term "Green Revolution" was first used in 1968 by former USAID director William Gaud. The goal of the Green revolution was to increase the efficiency of agricultural processes so that the productivity of the crops was increased and could help developing countries to face their growing population’s needs.

A Model for Gender-Based Post-harvest Fisheries Technology Transfer Initiatives in the Philippines

A Model for Gender-Based Post-harvest Fisheries Technology Transfer Initiatives in the Philippines

Tuning knowledge ecosystems: exploring links between hotels’ knowledge structures and online government services provision

The development of knowledge-based business opportunities in many economic sectors worldwide is often conceived through a silo-mentality, whereby efforts are focused in either industry or government entities in isolation. Without a systemic or holistic understanding of connections between these, any present or future project evaluation becomes either input- or output-based instead of having a comprehensive understanding of its impact. In order to address such a challenge, this empirical study focuses on the Spanish hospitality sector, which currently thrives by continuously accessing external and internal sources of knowledge, thus offering opportunities to conceptualise it as a knowledge ecosystem. Lessons learned from the Spanish hospitality sector have the potential to inform the design of online government services as part of a knowledge ecosystem. This can, in turn, yield further opportunities for innovation in the hospitality sector. A structural equation model validated by factor analysis of 130 hotels is used to assess the extent to which hotels currently benefit from online government services. This study concludes that online government services can be better fostered by nurturing external communities while also setting up internal working communities and practices. The model and its implications can also inform initiatives which seek to pursue ecosystem-oriented research and practice, as well as future policy and technology transfer initiatives.