Bridging the valley of death in international technology transfer
A typology of ODA-funded demonstration centres
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13040727 |
|---|---|
| Authors | J J Seo (Hanbat National University), Jun-Seok Seo (Hanbat National University), Segu Oh (Chungnam National University, corresponding author), OH se-gu (0000-0002-7762-8686, Chungnam National University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-23 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Innovation and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2157-9318 • E-ISSN: 2157-930X |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/2157930x.2026.2647296 |
| OpenAlex | W7140092004 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
Science and Technology (S&T) Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects frequently fail to commercialize research outputs in developing countries due to the ‘Valley of Death’. This study argues that such failures arise from both limited absorptive capacity and technology – market misalignment between donor-designed technologies and local needs. We develop and validate a typology of Pilot and Demonstration Centres (PDCs) as critical intermediaries for contextual technology transfer.Using mixed-methods combining Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and comparative case studies across South Korea, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Vietnam, we find that optimal PDC models depend on host countries’ technological maturity (TRL) and market readiness. Our context – maturity framework identifies four evolving models – University-Experimental (UE1), University-Exemplary (UE2), R&D Institute-Experimental (RE1), and R&D Institute-Exemplary (RE2) – each suited to different national contexts.By integrating technology and market readiness perspectives, this study extends international technology transfer theory and offers policymakers a diagnostic tool for designing adaptive, context-aware innovation intermediaries.
Bridging (networking · Government (linguistics · Typology · Work (physics · Diverse Education and Engineering Focus · Global Politics and Economy · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development
| Highly cited | No |
|---|