Analysing approaches to technology transfer in the UK National Health Sector

This article presents the approaches to technology transfer framework as an aid to organizations designing strategies to highlight areas for specific attention in the process of transferring technology. The term ‘technology transfer (TT)’ is often associated with the horizontal transfer of technology from developed to less developed countries. So-called ‘vertical’ TT, from creation and conception to first implementation, is a topic often overlooked and certainly under researched in fields outside of product design and research and development. This article contributes to the topic of vertical TT by providing insight to TT from a health-care operations management perspective. The study deals with one aspect of the topic: the ‘process’ itself. A UK-based National Health Service Hospital provided the primary sources (interviews, project reports, observations) for the research. The data were collated from a mix of primary and secondary sources. The dual case study approach has been adapted for the purpose of providing a comprehensive and rich insight into the topic of TT. TT within health-care organizations is misunderstood. It is often justified on service improvement grounds, and the failure to implement new technologies appropriately necessitates the need for a framework.