Interest in technology transfer across academic disciplines: publication trends, 1981 thru 1989

Interest in technology transfer across academic disciplines highlights this paper. We reviewed an abstracting service via computer for the years 1981 thru 1989, concentrating on publication titles that included any of four key terms: diffusion of innovation; intrapreneurship; internal corporate venturing; and technology transfer. This computerized search located 828 pages tn science and engineering and 1765 pages in the social sciences. In science and engineering, about 44% of the pages relate to specific cases of technology transfer, and about 27% have an international focus. The opposite is true in the social sciences: cases comprise about 25% of the pages, while 55% have an international focus. Economics, with 470 pages, dominates the writings within the social sciences, as well as elsewhere. In science and engineering, three areas published the most: electrical engineering (147 pages), agriculture (127), and multidisciplinary science (126). The findings suggest that researchers interested in technology transfer would benefit by adopting a multidisciplinary perspective.