1、Technology Transfer,Prof. Crawford EN 90,What is Technology Transfer?,The technology transfer process helps a manufacturing company more effectively use its human, physical, and capital resources by providing knowledge, information, or assistance, which leads to improvements in its facility, equipme
2、nt, manufacturing methods, management methods, or marketing methods.,Technology Transfer,Marketing (Diffusion),Innovation,Design,Invention,Simple Example,Incredible that people a million years ago invented the wheel that would be useful for so long. They saw the need for such a device that would mak
3、e certain tasks easier invention. Someone needed to device a way to utilize the wheel innovation Turn idea into reality and implement other ideas to use the wheel design Further developments need promotion and device/idea needs to be disseminated - diffusion,Inventions,Some are nothing more than sci
4、entific curiosity for years before being transformed into a working device, prototype, or product,Aluminum (H. Saite-Claire Deville, 1854),Total Internal Reflection (William Wheeler, 1881),Theory of Lasing (A. Einstein, 1917),Utensils, mast for sailboats window frames late 1950s,Fiber Optics 1971,Fi
5、rst I Prototype Gas discharge laser 1950,100 Years,90 Years,43 Years,Inventions,Some inventions have immediate appeal,X-Rays (1895 William Rontgen),Few Years,1900s Used in Medical Profession,Inventions,Some Inventions are forced,The need preceded the product,Nothing happened,35 years,1940s successfu
6、l need WWII,Radar (Patent, 1914) unworkable,Inventions,The need proceeded the product another example,The vacuum tube was bulky, fragile, power hungry, and had lifetime issues it was inherently unreliable,The need for a transistor existed long before its invention,Bell laboratories poured money into
7、 it resulting in the first patent of the resistor (1940) In 1951, the first point contact transistor was manufactured,The complicated path of Invention,Total internal reflection, W. Wheeler, 1981,Long uniform quartz fibers; Boys, 1887,Bundles of glass Fibers; Baird, 1927,Cladding on fibers Van Hell,
8、 1952,Guiding output of cathode discharge lamps; Reeves, 1950,Laser, 1960s,Theory of attenuation resulting from impurities, Kao and Hockman 1960,Minimum attenuation losses achieved Maurer, 1970,TODAY Telecommunications, Medicine, dentistry, displays,A Fundamental Question of Technology Transfer,Why
9、do inventions, in some cases, take so long to reach the market place? What factors govern the time lag between invention and application?,In todays marketplace, speed to market dictates success or failure,Innovation,This period of development is characterized by INNOVATION!,Invention,Product,Innovat
10、ion vs. Invention,Invention = Original Concept Innovation = the development, refinement, and change of an existing idea / productE.g. easier to manufacture, Cheaper to Fabricate, Better Performance, More reliable,Then and Now,The wheel has been improved over thousands of years improvements evolved s
11、lowly Consumer Electronics Industry, time to market: 1980 = 1.5 years 1990 1 year Today, there is a lot more effort on conscious design and modeling,Design,Design is part of the innovation process, sophisticated modeling and software shaves years off the development processMany issues can be identif
12、ied during the modeling stage, before prototyping saves time and money,Diffusion,Sometimes referred to as marketing, everything that is involved in the promotion and sale of the product Also important is promotion by use of publication Users and customers have important input on how to improve or re
13、fine the product Can conflict with IP,Relationship Invention, Innovation, Design, and Diffusion,Nave Model - Linear,Invention,Innovation,Design,Diffusion,Whats Wrong with this Model?Feedback from each stageNo real beginning and end, invention is often continuous,Realistic Model,Innovation Embrace th
14、e entire Process Technology Transfer Means to achieve innovation,Invention,Technology transfer,Design,Diffusion,Innovation,Embraces the entire process,Some Working Definitions,Technology Transfer The transactions between changing technology and invention, innovation, production, and diffusionInnovat
15、ion The exploitation of new ideas,Reasons to Innovate,Competition Keep ahead of Competitors Science Laziness “There must be an easier way to do this”,Innovation as a Policy,Innovation does not guarantee success, but a lack of it will ultimately lead to failure Innovation and invention are integral a
16、nd key to many companies (e.g., Philips, 3M) Each year Nissan holds a competition for its employees to come up with a novel form of transport Innovation is policy, change is inevitable and in part is driven from within the company. The company is not simply waiting to respond to one another of the e
17、xternal proximal cases, but is itself a vehicle for change.,Benefits to Innovation,Apart from innovate to survive;Competitive Advantage Increased Market Share Higher Growth Rates,RCA Hughes TI TI TI Motorola Sylvania Transitron Fairchild Fairchild Motorola TI GE Philco Motorola National National NEC
18、 Ratheon Sylvania GI Intel Intel Hitachi Westinghouse TI GE Motorola NEC National Amperex GE RCA Rockwell Fairchild Toshiba Nat Video RCA Sprague GI Hitachi Intel Rawland Westinghouse Philco/Ford RCA Signetics Philips Eimac Motorola Transitron Philips Mostek Fujitsu Lansdale Clevite Raytheon AmerMic
19、ro Toshiba Fairchild,Manufacturing Companies 1945 - 1982,19651950 1955 (Semi- 1975 1980 1982 Rank (Vacuum Tube) (Transistor) conductor),Information,Inventors and Innovators need information available to them Knowledge Base information often academic and abstract, contained in journals, scientific ma
20、gazine, patents, and at conferences. Ex. Transmission of light through a glass fiber is limited by impurities in the glass rather than inherent properties of glass. This was published in an archival journal, but did lead glass manufacturers to improve the quality of glass by reducing impurities this
21、 paved the way for fiber optics,Information,Skills based information information acquired by doing something. Its hands-on experience. Skills learned by training and participation. Go to another institution where the skills are practiced, or skilled personnel can be brought in.,Information,Equipment
22、 based knowledge Knowledge conveyed via products/devices. Knowing what machine tools are available and what they do, what merchandise is available in the marketplace and what features it has. Also conveyed in trade journals, magazines, and conventions. Another information channel is through sales re
23、ps, advertising, other companies, etc.,Technology,Technology is key to economic growth and international competition Research must be exploited to produce new products / devices Technology transfer becomes vital, especially today when time-to-market is key to success Scientific push is usually not a
24、n engine for technology transfer Science often predates its application by decades Without scientific curiosity, there would be no technology transfer With continual invention and innovation, technology will become outdated,Technology Transfer Process,IBM grants a license to the government of Taiwan
25、 the computer corporation undertakes a transfer of knowledge. French cheese maker passes on recipes to Japanese firms transfer of knowledge Brown University organizes a short-course transfer of educational and technology information,The flow of information and knowledge are various and wide ranging.
26、,Flow of information,Innovation Process Checklist,Technology Transfer is a subject of Innovation,Identify Technology,Evaluate Technology,Secure Technology,Protect Technology,Prototype,Technology Awareness Training,Product Specific Training,Barriers to Innovation,Management Attitude: Upper level mana
27、gement does not embrace change easily R comfortable with current position Poor Information Flow: Need to maximize flow of information around the company poor information flow hinders technology transfer Weak Links: Good ideas products can be destroyed by poor marketing or not listening to customers,
28、Information Collection,Where do I get Market Information?,Customers 89% Business contacts 82% Competitors 82% Suppliers 74% Employees 70% Trade representatives 67% Business affiliates 63% Industry experts 60% Manufacturers salesforce 59% Social networks 48% Friends 48% Subcontractors 41% Consultants
29、 33% Family members 30%,Impersonal Sources of Information,Trade magazines 96% Sales brochure 70% Advertising 63% National newspapers 60% General magazines 56% Journals 56% Local newspapers 52% Manufacturer materials 52% Catalogs 51% Annual reports 41% Government publications 22%,Innovation: Value to
30、 Company,Increased Competitive Advantage Improvement in Quality Cost Savings More Flexibility Better Service to Customers Reduction in lead times Companies with strong investments in innovation tend to achieve better cash flows and earnings performances R&D correlates with long term growth,Informati
31、on Collection,Well organized approach for monitoring technological and scientific intelligence Good R&D organization to encourage information flow (both internal and external) Accurate Knowledge of the companys own technological position and capabilities (technology reviews and audits) Efficiently o
32、rganized information on markets and competitors,Research and Development Hitachi Model (Japan),Independent Research Basic Research plus elementary technological research At advanced research lab, central research lab, and the nine corporate labs Funded by head office long range research strategy,Hit
33、achi Model (cont.),Commissioned Research New Product Development At Central and Corporate Labs Sponsored by business unit, factory, subsidiary companies Product Improvement In the development departments at the factory Funded by factory,How much to spend on R&D,The norm of US companies is about 3% A
34、 small company (like yours) needs to define a research policy,Assessing Technology,Assessing future technological innovations is usually done in a technology review or audit 3 Parts,What is the competitors Technology (what do they got?) Review companies own Technology (“what do we got?”) Review what
35、 state-of-the-art Technology (“what could we have”),Technology Portfolio,Technology Importance Business Attractiveness,A: Attractive Business, not much competitive position, use R& D Resources to gain competitive advantage B: Attractive Business, good competitive advantage. Company should sustain fu
36、nding and resources, be prepared for counter attack C: Poor Position, company should not use resources here D: Mixed, not important technology for company, move to cell B or eliminate,Market Potential,Identifying Potential Customers Recording Data Classifying External Influences Analyzing ResultsThi
37、s can help dictate R&D resources,Benchmarking,Benchmarking results help understand the amount of changes required to set strategic targets and guide planning efforts. There are four types of benchmarking.Internal: Comparison of Internal Operations Competitive: Competitor-to-Competitor comparisons fo
38、r products/services of interest Functional: Comparisons to similar functions with the same broad industry or to industrial leaders Generic: Comparisons of business processes on functions that are very similar regardless of industry,Searching for Technology,Very few small to medium size companies wil
39、l have the necessary expertise or R&D resources and infrastructure to provide new technology. Companies that want to develop something must be able to find other organizations that can help them Information is key to finding new technologies Companies must know where they can go to find information
40、on products, research activities, finance, IP, etc. How can a small company leverage off of a university?,Using Higher Education Research and Development,Universities can often help small and big companies with R&D. The University often offers much cheaper rates than a private research company.Acces
41、s to new technology (A lot of pie in the sky stuff) Keep abreast of new developments Access consultancy skills Professors are possible technical board members Develop joint new technology, benefits both.,Linking Organizations to Educational Establishments,Forming Links Graduate Employment companies
42、hire graduates and create a natural link back to their alma mater Sabbaticals Companies hire university professors to work on-site for a year or semester to bolster in-house expertise (pretty cheap) Industry/University Research Units Organized research units where focused groups at the university pa
43、rtner with companies (e.g. in the US, NSF, MRSEC). Companies gain access to professors, students, and earn results University/Industry Liaison Units Universities are creating internal organizations that are in charge of protecting and developing valuable new technologies to be transferred to industr
44、y. At Brown, the campus based technology transfer unit is BURF, Brown University Research Foundation.,University,Industry,Technology tranfer,University Industry Partnership,Product ideas, real world perspective, focused problems, prototyping facilities, market experience,New results, interesting dev
45、ices, research with seemingly no applications, professors, and students,Information,Paths of Technology Transfer,Government,Funding,University research,Invention,Campus-based technology transfer group,Funding,University research,Invention,Campus-based technology transfer group,option,Option to exclu
46、sive right,Company w,Company x,Company z,No exclusive right,Exclusive right to use it,Company x,Exclusive right to use,no,Company to Company Transfer,Private companies with R&D facilities produce a lot of innovative ideas that they may or may not patent or develop. These ideas may not be in their bu
47、siness plan, not within their core competencies, or returns are too small. These ideas may be suitable for another company. A small company company acquired by a big company or selling off its technology to a big company Inter-Company transfers. Your idea is now being transferred to products group o
48、r manufacturing.,Company to Company Transfer,Company x research,Innovation idea,Company SB Small Business,Company x products group,Innovation idea,Spin-off of Company X,Company Y buys technology,Company Z buys company SB on right to invention,Collaborations between Companies,Agreements for organizat
49、ions to work togetherAlliancesNetworksCooperatives Collaboration These arrangements could be with suppliers, customers, and even competitors Many times manufacturers form alliances to work together but retain their individual brand names.,Technical Partnerships,Another form of technology transfer is through technology / engineering collaborations to increase their expertise by sharing knowledge, skill, and personnel. What is the goal of a technology collaboration?- To improve the Innovation Process,
