Measurement and Evaluation of Technology Transfer from U.S. Dual-Use and Technology Programs

Abstract

Gauging the impact of federal technology transfer and dual-use technology concerns policy makers. The simplest measures indicate increasing levels of technology transfer for the past decade but nothing about economic impact. Most technology transfer is transferred knowledge, and measuring its economic value is an old problem. However, dual-use activities can he observed to see if real unified civilian/military production is created. Technology transfer measurement suffers from the lack of specific models of how technologies are commercialized. There arc ways around such problems through a mechanism specific approach utilizing intermediate data and surveys to create indicators of the economic benefit of technology transfer. Dual-use activities may require an alternative approach.