Abstract
CSIRO — Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization — is a large federal government research body with a central role in generating technology for the country's industrial development in the broad. The Organization has recently developed and reoriented its policies, procedures and mechanisms to provide stronger technological support for Australia's manufacturing industries: industries which are generally accepted to be badly in need of technological innovation. This article discusses the background to the changes made and the alternative pathways that were available to the Organization to effect the changes. It concentrates on the decision to establish a free-standing technology transfer and commercial assessment company, SIROTECH Limited. The article identifies the steps taken to bring the company to be, even after only two years' operation, a vital and valued part of CSIRO's system for planning, pursuing and applying industrial research with, and for, Australian industry. The main principles underlying the apparent success of the SIROTECH experience are identified.
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Murnain, R.W. Industrial application of a government laboratory's research — The SIROTECH experience. J Technol Transfer 11, 31–53 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02178721
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02178721