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Knowledge transfer (KT) activity at a research performing organization (RPO) is usually reported as a set of metrics arising from the RPO's research and engagement, such as links to industry, intellectual property creation, licensing of new technology and new start-up company creation. However, these basic metric sets are not very effective, either from the point of view of benchmarking or as measures of quality. To address this inadequacy, the author has developed and implemented a 'knowledge transfer capability maturity framework', which attempts to capture the essentials of good-quality management across key KT processes, providing for the identification of deficiencies and subsequent improvements. This article also presents the use of the ratios of currently reported metrics as an additional and helpful benchmarking tool, and the possible use of these ratios as a means of quantifying the quality measurement of the capability maturity framework presented.

Following a pause, with a relatively flat rate, from 1998 to 2008, the long-term trend of university patenting rising as a share of all patenting has resumed, driven by the internationalization of academic entrepreneurship and the persistence of US university technology transfer. The authors disaggregate this recent growth in university patenting at the US Patent and Trademark Organization (USPTO) in terms of nations and patent classes. Foreign patenting in the United States almost doubled during the period 2009-2014, mainly due to patenting by universities in Taiwan, Korea, China and Japan. These nations compete with the United States in terms of patent portfolios, whereas most European countries--with the exception of the United Kingdom--have more specific portfolios, mainly in biomedical fields. In the case of China, Tsinghua University holds 63% of the university patents in USPTO; followed by King Fahd University with 55.2% of the national portfolio.

The government of Ireland, like many European countries, is currently under severe pressure from external forces to grow the economy. One possible way to maintain and grow its economy is through the production of a highly educated and globally competitive workforce. In an effort to develop such a workforce, the government, through the Department of Education, is considering ways to increase accountability in its schools. This paper examines value-added accountability systems used in the USA and raises critical questions about their perceived value for Irish schools. (Contains 5 tables and 6 figures.)

The focal concern of this article is the investigation of the transfer and sustainability of the reflective process into the work environment. Specifically, the identification of the variables which support or challenge practitioners to continue the ongoing process of reflection in practice contexts is addressed. The article describes a study carried out over a seven-year period with students/graduates from a master's in social work (MSW) professional qualification programme in Ireland. The research involved gathering data on participants' experiences of reflective teaching and learning while on the course and in the initial years of their work as practitioners. In the early phases of the data collection, participants referred to developing epistemological awareness through the reflective process while on the course. This was in the context of a scaffold for reflection through journal writing and mentored portfolio inquiry. The outcomes of the study offer considerable insight into the challenges and value of developing a reflective teaching and learning environment in professional education. In particular, the work highlights how it impacts positively on professional practice. (Contains 5 notes.)

Purpose: Aims to examine trends in the development of e-learning in Northern Ireland, report on existing policies, practices and issues affecting its implementation across the sectors. Design/methodology/approach: The present study draws on e-learning policies and strategies that have been developed for Northern Ireland. Examples were drawn from case studies in schools and institutions and analyzed. Resulting knowledge and technology transfer across the sectors were evaluated. Findings: E-learning and the use of ICT is playing key role in shaping teaching and learning in Northern Ireland. Its implementation is providing innovative and creative ways for knowledge and technology transfer. It is facilitating the establishment of a skilled community and workforce for a knowledge society. Associated with the positive changes and opportunities of the technological capabilities are some challenges and risks, some of which involve reaction of individuals and organizations to changes and dealing with the problem of increasing digital divide. Practical implications: This paper critically evaluates some of the benefits of e-learning in a society experiencing significant changes and assesses its potential in addressing the growing digital divide. Originality/value: Highlights recent advances in e-learning in the higher and further education sectors in the region and addresses some of the implications for the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Research on business incubation has been dominated by studies exploring university-industry technology transfer and high technology accelerators. Less is known about Business Incubation Centres (BICs), specifically, how their formal and informal structures may impact upon client development. Drawing on concepts from the community of practice (CoP) literature and organizational culture, we explore if BICs can be considered to be CoPs. We also seek to unravel the key elements which underpin the culture of a BIC and how these elements may provide enabling or constraining conditions for a CoP to emerge. Through a qualitative methodology of regional-based BICs in Ireland, we illustrate how the amount of time spent on campus; the nature of the working week; the scalability of the enterprise; and the capacity of the enterprise to meet the criteria associated with high potential start-ups influences clients' perceptions of the value of BICs. We provide new theoretical insights which suggest that BICs are a CoP with a culture that can be studied, captured, and illustrated. Practical and policy implications are suggested to enhance the effectiveness of BICs for both clients and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overview: Businesses can benefit from university–industry collaborations, yet they rarely take full advantage of them. Scientists who serve as principal investigators (PIs) act as the nucleus of university–industry collaborations and partner with industry to cocreate value. We conducted a case study of PIs at publicly funded research universities, institutes, and organizations in Ireland to explore how having commercial experience influences how PIs approach technology transfer and how they develop new business models, products, and services. We learned that PIs' prior commercial experience influences how they approach their research, project work, and project selection and affects how they commercialize knowledge and outputs from their scientific research––that is, patents, licences, agreements, etc.––throughout the project's life cycle. In university–industry collaborations, PIs' commercial experience can impact industry partners' attempts to realize technology transfer and market impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Technology readiness level (TRL) measure is a scale for calculating the maturity of a unique technology according to operational application in the environment of a system. when the TRL from level 1 of unique technology is transferred to the context of the system, a more comprehensive set of communications may establish. Similarly, the consideration of integration, interoperability, and stability from the perspective of the system in an operational environment is important. To alleviate the concerns of the operating system level, the dynamic measure of system readiness level (SRL) is studied, which includes both TRL and integration readiness level (IRL), simultaneously. Design/methodology/approach: Since SRL is a mathematical combination of TRL and IRL and is a criterion for Improvement evaluation in the development of the main-system and infrastructure, in this paper uses the error mean method and utilization of TRL and IRL have been used and the level of readiness of the electric system of an ejection seat of a fighter has been examined and estimated. To facilitate the calculation, the design structure matrix (DSM) has been used to visualize the components and perform the necessary calculations. Findings: According to the estimated value of the readiness level of the system (3.95), it is concluded that the system under study is at the entrance of the construction development stage, and stabilization at this phase is achieved by performing various and frequent tests of the system. The system meets the needs of the mission by achieving the ability to be operational. Research limitations/implications: The most important limitation of this paper is the lack of accurate access to tests and experiments performed to evaluate system performance and components within the system (to check how the connections work, establish a common language, ability to control, etc.). Therefore, to determine the levels of readiness at each level, considerable time should be spent to explain the requirements to the industry and to receive information from the engineers in the industry. This in turn can affect the accuracy of the work to some extent. Practical implications: One of the most important applications of this paper is that it can provide some of the information needed for the managers of authorized or sanctioned institutions so that a project can move to the next stage of development in a step-by-step process through specific review gates. Also, industry managers can increase the speed of achieving the design and development of their desired products by formulating the requirements for readiness and maturity (management) of the required technologies. Social implications: The results of this study can determine the level of readiness of a system. In addition to avoiding the very high costs (human and financial) resulting from the failure of operations, as expected from the designed system, by the application of the proposed approach, the managers and designers can be informed about the current state of the project. This enables them to plan the next steps of their project. Originality/value: This paper aims to propose a relatively new method for estimating the level of readiness of a system based on understanding the level of readiness and maturity of the system designed to be used in a specific mission using the error mean method, block diagram, and DSM. This study contributes to the examination of the level of readiness of a simple subsystem of the main system, i.e. ejection seat. Also, in this paper, the exact design structure matrices have been used which were obtained from the previous study of the authors. Similar to the previous research work, the symmetric matrix was not studied for simplicity. Therefore, the findings are more valid than the earlier study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advances a measure of knowledge complexity to analyse for Ireland whether more complex knowledge is generated by local or foreign firms. Information on assignees, technological structure and global ownership contained within a recently developed Irish patent database forms the basis for distinguishing between technologies developed by local and nonlocal firms. Thereafter, our knowledge complexity index uses a modified bipartite network to link these technologies to their country of origin, i.e. local or nonlocal. Our results indicate that the most complex technologies tend to be produced in a few diverse regions. Furthermore, the majority of complex knowledge is generated in technology classes where the share of foreign activity is greater than local firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Ireland's foreign direct investment (FDI) in China. It identifies a deviation in Irish investment patterns into China as compared to the traditional destinations for Irish outward FDI and it is because China offers locational advantages in the guise of market opportunity. With this advantage, majority of Irish FDI into China is in the traded section and with China's burgeoning middle class makes it an attractive location for any Irish firm which possesses the appropriate ownership and internalisation advantages.

While policy recognises the need to facilitate university--industry technology transfer (UITT), international studies indicate that the setup and effectiveness of the associated instruments is highly context-specific. We examine the reorientation of Irish universities in the direction of facilitating UITT, with a substantive focus on the role of Ireland's technology transfer offices. This paper also questions how academic research is changing in line with policy rhetoric. We find that Irish university research and the management of its output are changing in a manner that is not incompatible with UITT, although with significant resource and skills constraints. These findings hold important lessons for national economic and innovation systems of comparable size, with a development trajectory shaped by foreign direct investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology transfer is a key aspect of economic development and research administration. These concerns are shared equally between academia and industry on both sides of the Atlantic. As technology is developed at a greater rate, concerns about the technology transfer will heighten. This article focuses on technology transfer in Ireland, particularly in the SME (Small and Medium size Enterprises, under 250 employees) sector. As the main Lisbon Objective has not been met in Europe ("Europe is to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion"), the authors suggest a better model of technology transfer applicable not only to Ireland and Europe, but with possibilities for the United States. Demonstrating the international dimensions of technology transfer, the article also provides an American perspective, demonstrating commonality of interest yet subtle differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]