The transfer of technologies is one of the ways in which it is possible to give impetus to the competitive development of local systems. As well as being particularly suggestive, the specific case of transfers originating from research in the space sector offers many concrete opportunities for innovation in a "glocal" perspective. The topic is tackled by examining criticalities, which are usually reduced simply to the difficult interaction between producers of knowledge and technologies (universities, research centres, mainly public) and users (chiefly companies, but not only). The aim of the book is to go beyond this idea, starting from theoretical and practical ‘reconnaissance' that might make it possible to firstly identify the "chain" of public and private actors involved in the "technology transfer" phenomenon, and then to identify, based on a multidisciplinary logic, the features and problems typical of technology transfer processes, looking at the example of space technology transfers. The book is divided into two parts and five chapters. The first part gives definitions and descriptions of the various transfer "paths"; there is an examination of the complex, and not totally organised, space technology transfer market in both real and potential terms; finally the role of leading space agencies is examined through a reconstruction of their plans and experiences in the transfer field. The second part examines concrete tools for technology transfer, legal, contractual, economic and financial. The conclusions, penned by Sergio Ristuccia, include a proposal to organise and actively stimulate the matching of supply and demand in the technology transfer sector, through funding and guarantee instruments for new companies. All within a rigorously European framework. The book picks up from and updates the study on space technology transfers to companies conducted by Spazio Venture Capital s.r.l. for the European Space Agency in 2003.

Reviews:

Fondazione Giannino Bassetti (10/5/2007)

Culturaspettacolo.it (Patrizia Andriola, 12/5/2007)