Technology Transfer between Technology Centres and SMEs: Evidence from the Basque Country

Abstract

Public policies (often at the regional level) favouring pre-competitive research and cooperative research and development have played a decisive role in the development of technology centres in Europe and all over the world. The technology offer model gave priority to the creation of technology transfer organizations and structures, but there is increasing evidence that this model did not attach enough attention to the needs of small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and in particular, to their capacity to take in knowledge. In this paper, based on qualitative research, we show in detail some of the main issues involved in the relationships between technology centres and SMEs in the Basque Country, a region that has developed intensive policies favouring technology transfer organizations over the years.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements are due to the following institutions for helping finance our research: European Commission, TIGER project (Trust Interfaces for Generative Enterprise Relationships, IPS-2000-00065), University of the Basque Country (project 9/UPV00018.323-15338/2003) and Diputacion de Gipuzkoa (Government of Gipuzkoa province, “Knowledge generation in SMEs” project, 2005–2007). This paper's “added-value” comes to a great extent from the qualitative evidence gathered. Many thanks are due to the 17 researchers interviewed at technology centres and to the 13 managers interviewed at SMEs. Finally, we would like to thank Carlos Peña of Labein Technology Centre for helping us in our empirical research at technology centres.

Notes

“Advanced engineering and developmental work draw upon theory, proven principles and experience to demonstrate new products or processes or to identify and eliminate technical problems. In both cases the critical path of development is usually well-known and the expected output would be new designs and prototypes” (Rush et al., 1996, p. 12).

This would be the stage after basic research and before proprietary applied research. “Generic technology research identifies and generally characterizes performance attributes and demonstrates (usually to the point of laboratory prototype) how these attributes will be “bundled” together as an eventual product (in terms of general operating characteristics, product architecture, etc.)” (Tassey, 1991, p. 352).

For more information about the Basque Country see: www.euskadi.net. For an analysis of the evolution of industry policies of the Basque Country (see Cooke & Morgan, 1998, Chapter 7).

According to Yin (1989, p. 13), a case study is an appropriate research strategy when: (a) the questions “how?” and “why?” constitute the material focus of analysis; (b) researchers have little control over the phenomena they are investigating and (c) the focus of research is on an event occurring within a certain context of real life. The method, therefore, suits our objectives.

Responses of innovative firms to the question “Is technology centres' technical-level good?” were: 84% yes; 14% yes to some extent, 2% no. Responses to the question about adaptation to firms' demands were: 72%, 24%, 4%. However, agreement levels with price and implementability of results were 54%, 31%, 15% and 43%, 30%, 27%, respectively.

Zubiaurre's (2002) survey reflected this phenomenon.