he world of technology transfer has changed dramatically over the last 10 years. The "not developed here" syndrome within corporations is rapidly becoming a faint memory as demand for new technological developments rapidly outstrips the pace and financial resources of even the most well funded R&D departments within industry. Small companies see technology licensing to be a great way to develop a proprietary advantage. Large companies have become dependent upon Academic Research Institutions not only as a source for technology, but also for assistance with technology development.

It is well established that much of the technology used by corporations comes from government and academic research institutions.  Francis Narin, the head of CHI Research was commissioned to study patents issued to corporations. Dr. Narin and his colleagues found over 70 percent of the citations for industrial patents were scientific papers written at public institutions--universities and government laboratories, for the most part. Less than 30 percent of the science citations for American industrial patents referred to scientific research conducted by American corporations.

An increasing number of academic institutions are recognizing the benefits of obtaining financial support for research in addition to licensing revenues. To foster this mutually beneficial collaboration, both companies and research institutions are establishing fairly sophisticated means for marketing and acquiring technology as well as partnering in technology development.

This article is based on interviews with tech transfer officers from University and Corporate settings who were willing to share their perspectives for effectively developing collaborations between industry and academia for technology transfer and development.

Our intent is to make this an ongoing series in BioTactics in Action, and we would welcome your comments suggestions. We would be glad to incorporate your ideas into future articles for the benefit of everyone in the field.

The Game of Technology Transfer and Collaboration is a "Contact" Sport.

There aren't many things that one can be certain of in life, but in tech transfer and technology development connecting with "who you know" is the single most effective way of developing a collaboration and/or license agreement. This reality was emphasized in every interview for this article. Wayne Swan, Director, Technology Liaison from U. of Maryland (U of M) aptly refers to tech transfer as "a contact sport".