Information, Cooperation, and the Blurring of Boundaries – Technology Transfer in German and American Discourses

Meier F, Krücken G, Müller A. Information, Cooperation, and the Blurring of Boundaries – Technology Transfer in German and American Discourses. Higher Education. 2007;53(6):675-696.The aim of this paper is to examine changing discursive conceptualizations of technology transfer mechanisms for speeding up innovation in Germany and the US since World War II with particular emphasis on universities. According to our analysis, the concepts of technology transfer are getting more and more complex, taking off from a linear model of innovation to a more complex model allowing for networking and entrepreneurial activities of the universities themselves. We suggest that the discourses in both countries can be framed employing three ideal-typical models: the information and documentation model, the cooperation model, and the blurring of boundaries model. In addition to these similarities, we also discuss differences that can be traced back to broader political cultures in which technology transfer is embedded. Both similarities and differences allow for a comparative perspective which is not limited to the countries analyzed here