technology transfer

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the process by which technological knowledge, know-how, capabilities, and equipment move from one organisation, sector, or country to another, enabling recipients to build or upgrade their productive capacities; technology transfer is a central mechanism through which developing countries seek to access the technologies that underpin industrial competitiveness, agricultural productivity, clean energy, and healthcare capacity without having to invest the full costs of original research and development; the process occurs through multiple channels including foreign direct investment, licensing agreements, joint ventures, diaspora networks, academic exchange, and development assistance programmes; debates in development economics concern whether technology transfer actually occurs through these channels or whether foreign firms guard their proprietary knowledge, how developing countries can build the absorptive capacity needed to apply transferred technologies effectively, and how intellectual property regimes — particularly TRIPS provisions within the WTO — constrain developing countries' access to technologies for climate adaptation and health