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International collaboration alliances have been fostered since the end of the last century to improve the competitiveness of international firms. During most of the 20th century technology transfer was normally carried out from the developed to the developing countries. In the current global context inverse technology transfer situations are incipient phenomena that can benefit the organisations involved. In this work we present and discuss the organisational learning issues resulting from an international collaboration project between a multinational firm from the USA and an R&D centre from a Mexican public university for the development of an automatic moulding press (AMP). A successful case is presented and some interesting results are provided. While the US firm obtained a technology system without distracting their own intellectual capital resources, the Mexican counterpart obtained knowledge from the learning process by performing the project activities, and at the same time both organisations learned how to interact with each other. Probably, in the near future we will see an increment of this type of international collaborations looking for open innovation and global competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our data from local suppliers to AB Volvo's truck and bus-plants in Brazil, China, India and Mexico show that foreign TNCs contribute to technology-learning and improved adaptive technological capabilities, which help suppliers to expand businesses with domestic and international OEM-customers in many industries and markets. This support the evolutionary perspective that technology transfers from industrialised to developing economies are based on local inter-firm linkages arising from regular manufacturing activities of foreign TNCs. A policy lesson is that business-linkages with foreign TNCs with a low-volume demand for high-quality products can result in technology-upgrading among small local suppliers who make necessary learning-investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has introduced many changes over the last decades causing a socio-economic evolution based on information acquisition and knowledge dissemination. It helped create an emerging global information-based society with innovative means of communication that can help in increasing competitiveness for individuals, organisations and societies. ICT has helped generate new forms and structures of business, social and economic entities that are no longer bound by geographic or time constraints, but instead depend mainly on being connected all the time. This article addresses the efforts taking place in Africa to minimise the digital gap and actively join the global information society. Many African nations have invested heavily in building their ICT infrastructure to help improve the readiness of their communities and this article provides an overview of some of the projects implemented to build the African information society while demonstrating some the lessons learned and experiences acquired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the previous studies in global R&D were focused on developed economies, meaning the situation of developing countries has been neglected. Consequently, this work conducts a deep case study of eight Taiwanese companies with overseas R&D units. The sample companies came mainly from two industrial sectors: computer hardware and software. Preliminary research findings include the following: (1) firms in developing countries seem all to follow a similar path in internationalising their R&D activities, (2) companies from developed and developing countries appear to have the same motivations and use the similar methods in globalising their R&D, (3) communication and managerial process of global innovation differ for hardware and software product developments and (4) problems of communication, language and cultural difference critically affect the performance of global R&D and can be reduced by employing standard manuals, a unified language and international liaisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International organisations advocate global convergence in intellectual property as a prerequisite for successful innovation strategies. The difficulties of achieving such harmonisation are, however, evident from the attempts of several nations to develop divergent intellectual property systems. This paper explores the causes of institutional divergence and uses intellectual property for seed markets in India as a case study. The Indian seed market case demonstrates that convergence and divergence may go hand in hand. The ‘domestication’ of global protection models for seed and biotechnology may require divergence in order to be accepted by domestic stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture has long served as the ‘handmaiden’ to the industrial sector in many developing countries including those in the Caribbean region. Technological change, competition and globalisation are driving a restructuring of agro-business Research and Development (R&D) processes and strategies. This paper discusses the potential benefits of technology transfer to agriculture and the infrastructural requirements for the support of innovation in developing countries with particular reference to Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. A collaborative framework for innovation and technology transfer is explained. It stresses the need to build partnerships among stakeholders (i.e. agro-firms, government, knowledge institutions, etc.) and identifies main processes involved to assure the sustainability of the agricultural environment. Technology transfer is not simply copying the technologies passively from the advanced nations, but is an active and creative process of adaptation rather than of adoption that recognises the indigenous capabilities needed to suit local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation has been recognised as a distinctive input to wealth creation through the stimulation of new ideas, processes and products. A nation's economic prosperity has been attributed to the concerted efforts in research and development, technology transfer and collaboration among firms, knowledge institutions and the government. This paper discusses the challenges and determinants of agro-operations and innovation initiatives in developing countries. With particular reference to the Caribbean region, available country statistics and data are analysed. A generic model of collaborative innovation for agriculture that stresses collaboration among the stakeholders (government, knowledge institutions, public and private firms and others) is described. Drawn from the experience of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the paper illustrates the rationale and the action agenda of the country to revitalise its agro-operations and innovation capabilities for sustainable development. The country's experience may provide insights for other developing countries in the areas of innovation capability building and technology transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their struggle to survive, enterprises in developing countries are rushing to keep abreast with the technological advancements. As the indigenous technological capabilities of developing countries are weak by default, they intend to import technology internationally. Experience showed that, in doing so, a number of obstacles might render the technology acquisition process by them, less effective, or even sometimes, a failure economically and/or technically. Cases in developing countries show that the technological capabilities of the technology recipient country are a decisive factor in successfully transferring and absorbing of the particular technology. Many other factors affect the process, such as education, culture, legislations, enabling environment, etc. Building the indigenous technological capabilities should be the ultimate goal of the development countries in order to cope with the aggressive competing world. Government of developing countries should review their strategic plans in order to consider the fast moving technology advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology changes the paradigm of economic activities and networking. Because of technological changes, market competition becomes wider and harder and networking becomes more international, inter-sectoral and inter-institutional. Technology also changes the mode of technology transfer and technology strategy. Technology transfer becomes easier and more formal since some portion of tacit knowledge is codified and stored in software. Technology strategy at the national level places more emphasis on private sector initiative; and at the corporate level it becomes more comprehensive including the functions from procurement to marketing. International networking is important especially for developing countries. Its means range from foreign direct investment (FDI) to licensing. A suitable means depends on the conditions of a recipient country. In addition, technology assimilation and domestic diffusion is necessary for full use of acquired technology. Further, domestic networking among industry, universities and public research institutes is necessary to utilise all technological capability for industrial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Develops a general model to present the most important activities related to technology transfer to developing countries. Requisites for the technology transfer to become successful; Results and conclusions of the model.

Highlights the main features of technology cooperation between developing countries with different types of technology acquisition in an analytical nexus. Formulation of a paradigm to show the mutual benefits, the scope and the mechanisms for such cooperation, using the example of telecommunications in Korea and China.

Focuses on the importance of technology transfer for the industrialization process of developing countries. Factors that are necessary for making technology transfer efficient; Implications of the transfer to the developing countries.

Discusses factors to consider when investing in new technologies and how to attract the location of manufacturing facilities in developing nations. Concept of competitive edge; Technology transfer and technology acquisition; Technology transfer programs.

The South African Government has identified biotechnology as a key technology platform and is in the process of implementing a policy framework to promote the development of a national biotechnology industry. The policy interventions have been designed to bridge the ''innovation chasm'' between research institutions and industry, which exists as a consequence of inadequate support and weak linkages between stakeholders. The current status and possible impact of three of the main initiatives is discussed. These are the National R&D Strategy, the National Biotechnology Strategy and proposed legislation to govern intellectual property developed from publicly funded research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]