Technology Transfer Projects in Europe: A Comparison

Throughout Europe, technology transfer between academic institutions and industry is seen as an important mechanism by which to improve the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper evaluates the strategies, structures and success of schemes operated in three different EU countries: Germany, Italy and the UK. It would appear that such schemes are more successful in economically successful areas. A major finding is the difficulty in all countries of first identifying suitable SMEs for such projects and then persuading them to participate. It was also found that without the whole-hearted commitment of academic staff such schemes rarely succeed.