Nine drivers of knowledge transfer between universities and industry R&D partners in South Africa

Abstract

This article presents part of the findings of the Research Marketing and Technology Commercialization Survey conducted in South Africa during 2005 and 2006. Part IV (Q4) of this survey was designed to examine nine drivers of knowledge transfer between South African universities in their research and development (R&D) collaborations with industry firms. Respondents from a judgemental sample ranked the knowledge transfer for R&D collaboration between university departments and industry as: (a) the need to extract appropriate knowledge at the right time to make critical decisions; (b) the perception that knowledge is a valuable resource; (c) the emphasis on getting a return on investment in research; (d) the need to protect knowledge for competitive advantage; (e) the need to close the knowledge gap; (f) international trade; (g) the need to protect intellectual property such as patents and trademarks; (h) geographic proximity between the knowledge source and recipient; and (i) war, terrorism and natural disasters.

Activities Pivotal for the Sustainability of Newly Established Technology Transfer Offices: A Case Study of Publicly Financed South African Universities

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Management of Knowledge Transfer for Capacity Building in Africa

“…In order for the diaspora to engage in their countries of origin, governments must put mechanisms and regulatory bodies in place to better channel the efforts and contributions of this capital. This includes improving a socio-political environment that fosters the hatching of engineering, the development of intelligence and the promotion of excellence, offering incentives, as was shown in the examples of the Asian countries such as South Korea, India, and China (Hatcheu, 2004;Van Zyl, 2007).…”

Following Mothers to the Wet Market: The Significant Benefits Gain by Young Generations

“…The knowledge that being transmitted in this research based from Fleck's table (1997) is cultural knowledge in the context of recipe knowledge that is knowledge on prescriptions for action (Van Zyl 2007). Transferring knowledge is necessary preserving cultural knowledge on skill and technique of preparation traditional foods (Nor et al 2012).…”