1 Transportation Technology Transfer Training and Education Needs

Technology transfer is defined as the activity leading to the adoption of a new-to-the-user product or procedure by any user or group of users. Technology transfer is a means to directly affect the rate and nature of innovation and improvements to the transportation system. Whether there is a new device to apply or a more effective manner of performing a task, technology transfer is an essential part of that innovation1. The expertise necessary to understand and apply all facets of technology transfer pull and push activities including technical, procurement, institutional, marketing, resource management, training and legal issues is immense. It is difficult for recent hires or professionals new to technology transfer to grasp the fundamentals and be “up and running” in a short period of time. While the need for trained technology transfer professionals has been expressed in prior research on this topic in specific components of the industry, the authors conducted relevant research and undertook a survey to determine the nature and extent of the need and to gather information useful for the establishment of a Transportation Technology Transfer Certificate Program.