Tools for Assessing Transfer-Worthiness of Technologies and Absorption & Innovation Capacities of Transferee Firms

This paper is an outcome of the study of the transfer of spin-off technologies from a publicly funded nuclear research organization of India. The complex nature of nuclear technologies results in spin-offs that are technically advanced. However, it is prudent to assess upfront, the spin-off technology for its worthiness to be transferred to the industry as the success of tech-transfer depends on several factors additional to technical. By the same rationale, the firm aspiring to receive the technology needs to be assessed for its capacity to absorb it. Considering these two requirements, this paper first examines the conventional constructs such as the Technology Readiness Level and Absorptive Capacity (ACAP), expands them to suit the context, and develops the protocols for assessment. The methodology of research was both explorative and empirical. Literature was first examined to inform ourselves of the conceptual basis. The factors of the proposed constructs were initially drawn from the literature and then confirmed for relevance, with the experts in the field. The weights of relevance for the factors were also obtained from the experts. The assessment protocols of both constructs were formulated by the method of the sum of the weighted factors, to be compared with a pre-meditated threshold level. Thus, the paper's outcome is the assessment protocols, useful not only to the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of the organization under study, but also extendable to other similar organizations.