Technology transfer policies are still lacking

The author points out that lately Washington has been an outpouring of studies, conferences, and hearings on technology policy in an advanced economy in a competitive world. Recently the office of Technology Assessment (OTA) has asked for a rethinking of the government role in diffusion technological know-how to business and industry - the target not being the consumer but industries themselves through the concept of generic technology. OTA suggests removing engineering research from the mainstream of National Science Foundation (NSF) directorates to form a separate entity. Only 10% of NSF's budget is now applied to engineering research, and that amount has only remote relevance toward solving immediate problems facing industry. There is some constitutional basis for generic technologies under the concept of Internal Improvements - public projects like roads, canals, waterway navigability, beach erosion control, etc. In the new thinking, Internal Improvements would include buttressing the developing of engineering principles that the totality of industry needs to regain technological dynamism. Legislatively, a congessional group led by Rep. John J. LaFlace have floated a bill, H.R. 4361, the Advanced Technology Foundation Act, whereby ATF would be an independent agency like NSF and would establish, through loans and grants, centers for developmentmore » of generic technologies. Some such centers, both private and government, already exist; H.R. 4361 would attempt to take the unorganized smattering of technology transfer activities around the country, add others, and intergrate the activities. A Federal Industrial Extension Service is envisioned, modeled along the lines of the 125-year-old Agricultural Extension Service and land-grant research system.« less