Bringing science to life: an overview of countries outside of North America

摘要

Countries around the world are experimenting with new technology transfer practices that leverage their local universities. This special issue contains eight papers that cover the commercialization of academic research in the developing world, providing examples of their university technology transfer activities and placing them in the context of their national public policies. Specific countries covered include: Australia, Latin America, India, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, and China. The papers were presented at a conference at the University of Toronto in May 2005 entitled Bringing Science to Life. The conference asked participants to focus on the institutional and economic factors that explain international variation in university technology-transfer activities in biomedical research and how differences in national environments influence technology transfer arrangements and drive the evolution of technology-transfer organization, policy, and routines.