Both university-internal and external intermediaries omit to initiate the transfer of knowledge from university to industry, which contradicts their actual purpose. This is due to a flawed understanding of scientific research, a lack of initiative spirit, and a disregard for actual responsibilities. This is the central result of an article recently published in the journal Technology in Society, written by K. Florian Schneider. The article provides an excellent example of fruitful interdisciplinary collaboration, as the research group of Monika Sester (Geoinformatics, Hannover) presented their research findings at the transfer event on which the article is based. The event enabled an exchange between the researchers and intermediaries, as well as potential applicants from industry. Subsequently, the author conducted follow-up interviews with the event participants to examine the extent to which intermediaries initiate university-industry knowledge transfer, and to identify reasons for their inactivity. This was achieved by employing the extant literature on university knowledge transfer and intermediaries as a conceptual foundation.
K. Florian Schneider (2024): Intermediaries (not) in action: Impediments to initiating the utilization of public research, Technology in Society, 78, 102672, DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102672
