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Gaining from Partnership: Transfer Technology – Issues and Challenges in Transitional Economies

This issue of International Journal Technology Transfer and Commercialisation (IJTTC) contains examples from the spectrum of approaches to the investigation and description of technology transfer from different countries but all of them are passionate about the opportunities, threats and challenges created by the process of transition in their countries. Knowledge has the highest value, the most human contribution, the greatest relevance to decisions and actions, and the greatest influence on a specific situation or context. It is also the most difficult of content types to manage and transfer, because it originates and is applied in the minds of human beings. People who are knowledgeable have the ability to integrate and frame it within the context of their experience, expertise and even more to transfer it. In doing so they can expands the state of possibilities, and in turn allows for further interaction with experience, expertise, an modifications. Therefore, in a transition context, all knowledge stems from people. Some knowledge is incorporated in organizational artifacts like processes, structures, and technology. The authors of this special issue investigate how transfer technology and R&D activities incurage growth in transitions countries. Why should it be so hard for executives in transition countries to clearly interested in the results of innovation to take the actions necessary to bring into being a corporate culture of innovation? It is because in spite of all the innovation rhetoric, there is not a clear understanding of what transfer technology and innovation are. To many, innovation means simply increasing research and development (R&D) spending. To others, a corporate commitment to innovation is expressed by slogans on the wall. On the other hand, innovation is a fundamental pillar upon which competition is built (Ulusoy, 2003). Modern dynamic theories of competition (Dickson, 1996 ; Hunt and Morgan, 1995 ; Drazin, R, Schoonhoven, C.B. 1996 ; Hunt, 2000 ; , Song and Pettit, 2002 ; ) point that central role of technology and innovation in striving for competitive advantage that result in superior achieving and implementing knowledge (Harvey et al 2002) and in superior financial performance (Hunt, 200, p.138). In this dynamic, competitive environment that drives the need for technology and innovation, so that firms can improve or maintain their market positions relative to their competitors by offering more value to customer or lower cost. The mid to late 1980s brought a more proactive approach to transfer technology filed under the umbrella term of strategic management. Technological competencies have been theoretically and empirically verified Penrose, 1995, (Mansfield and Teece, , 1979 ; Prahalad i Hamel, 1990 as likely to be central to the creation of ownership advantages for many MNEs. Technology acquisition decisions have traditionally examined the firm's choice either to use internal technology or to acquire technology from outside sources (Murray , Wild and Kotabe, 1995). While globalisation of markets and the consequent changes in competitive and technological environments, R&D internationalisation (Freeman and Soete, 1990) and the new perspectives of international technology management (Child and Rodrigues, 2005) have moved up on the technology research agenda (Chiesa, 2000, and Gassman and Von Zedtwitz, 1998), there is scope for further exploration of current quantitative and qualitative research. Dahlman and Westphal (1983, p.7), among others, distinguusih between three levels of technology transfer:1. The capability required to operate a technology ; 2. Investment capability that reqired to create new productive capacity ; and innovation capability. The ability to modify and imprve methods and products. These reuirese different types and levels of skill, different supporting institutions, and because oft hat in terms oft his journal and this special issue the economic growth in transiton county miht be describe ad a capability to acceptance of change of absobtive capacity and aof supply of new nechnology. This special issue is based upon the contributions of authors and reviewers. The list of contributing authors and their manuscripts are as follows: Andrea Szalavetz: Developing entrepreneurial universities to enhance technology transfer in transition economies ; Jadranka Švarc: Does Croatian National Innovation System (NIS) follow the path towards knowledge economy? ; Francois Jacobus Janse van Vuuren, Marthinus Pretorius, Tugrul U Daim: Exploring Technology Licensing in the South African Manufacturing Industry ; Đuro Kutlača Business and Technology Incubators in Autonomous Province of Vojvodina: from Feasibility Studies to Evaluation of Performance – Case Study of Business Incubator Zrenjanin ; Jiang Yu: Acquiring External Technology or Building Indigenous Capability? Partnership Strategy with MNCs in China ; Sonja Radas “Factors Influencing NPD Process Type: Analysis of Leading Croatian Enterprises and Patt Suntharasaj and Tugrul U Daim: Management of Technology Transfer: an overview of Thailand Science Park. Szalavetz compares and examines industry-university relationship and emergence of entrepreneurial university in Hungary. Her research gives a meaningful conclusion on relevance of higher education expenditures on R&D by firms as it places specific bargaining power to firms to direct research in their area of interest, especially from the demand-side factors stimulated by public policy incentives. Her finding supports Rodik's (2007) claims and calls for an increase in public policies which enhance research activities. Developing entrepreneurial universities in transition economies to enhance technology transfer is a valuable contribution to the analysis of importance of public policies for development of entrepreneurial university and other industry-university relationships. Švarc, disapproves the practical concept of Croatian institutional infrastructure and exemplifies it with the list of factors that obstruct their appropriate conduct. “Does Croatian National Innovation System (NIS) follow the path towards knowledge economy?” presents the negative effects the government technology transfer policies could have in transitional economies and is useful for understanding the transition environment, its difficulties and exploitations. Vuuren et al. place important role on licensing but question to what extent are companies able to organize in order to incite licensing activities and which activities have the greatest impact on technology transfer. Their finding includes determinants of licensing such as intellectual property, innovative activities, use of information, economic ethos, sensitivity to the future and techno-economic networks by South African companies. Activities are then grouped into those significant for in- (technology followers) or out- (technology leaders) licensing and can be analyzed as a next important step in a development of technology transfer strategies. Kutlača’s article Business and Technology Incubators in Autonomous Province of Vojvodina: from Feasibility Studies to Evaluation of Performance – Case Study of Business Incubator Zrenjanin describe the institutions and their aims that facilitate economic development and growth entrenched with technology and, consequently, knowledge transfer. China is one of the best examples of underlying growth originating in technology transfer activities occurred by means of its economic policies and apsorbative capacity. Yu's Acquiring External Technology or Building Indigenous Capability? Partnership Strategy with MNCs in China provides insight into China as a „trading market for technology“ by giving critiques as well as illustrations of international partnership strategies that emphasis the competition among domestic and foreign firms to facilitate technology transfer which benefits mutual knowledge flow. Radas’ article “Factors Influencing NPD Process Type: Analysis of Leading Croatian Enterprises” expects that the ownership structure, foreign ownership, the firm size, competitive intensity, the percentage of income earned from new products as well as speed of the market entrance, large product variety and improvement of business functions will impact the new product development process type. Apart from the last three, a significant relationship between assumed determinants and NPD process type has not been proven. This finding offers a useful base for the future research in the area of knowledge transfer and new product development process type policies. In the paper Management of Technology Transfer: an overview of Thailand Science Park (TSP) Suntharasaj and Daim begin with the history of science parks, its definitions and stress the role of Technology Incubators for promotion of business growth for transfer of innovation from knowledge experts to venture capitalists. They then give information on the Thailand specific Technology Science Park (2002) and explain the country's strategy to evolve from labour intensive to skill intensive, and on, to technology and R&D intensive which is done through implementation of government's Science and Technology policy, funded by government support and facilitated by government incentives. They predict the latter might be the reason of forthcoming difficulties. In this issue of IJTT we have tried to combine country specific research and examples on technology transfer on transitional economies. By reviewing the given articles, a reader and researcher can develop an understanding on technology transfer's impact on transitional economy, economic policies and praxis as well as a scope for the future research in terms of the impact and development of entrepreneurial universities and their comparisons in transitional economy. As Guest Editors I would like to thank the authors whose papers are included in this special issue. Without them, who have given their time and research energy to the field of transfer technology as authors, much of what we have accomplished would not have been possible. All papers included in this special issue have been subjected to a rigorous review process by internationally renowned experts. Special words of gratitude are extended to the reviewers and their efforts to ensure high quality contributions. Finally, I would like to special thank to Mohammed Dorgham who invited me and encouraged me to work with this special issue.

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