Il trasferimento tecnologico alla frontiera della ricerca scientifica

In recent decades, economic development models have increasingly relied on knowledge. It’s no coincidence that the term “knowledge economy” is used to describe an economic paradigm that, in contrast to last century’s industrialization, evolves towards creating intangible and immaterial value, which underpins products and services.

Today more than ever, the generation and dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge are fundamental to competitiveness, understood not only as economic performance but also as the creation of quality jobs and the ability to withstand and adapt to market challenges, addressing the necessary changes.

One of the main channels for transferring and applying knowledge to the market – therefore for Technology Transfer (TT) processes – is the protection and valorization of intellectual property.

This underscores the importance of TT in public research and the strategic role of structures dedicated to managing its implementation and effectiveness (Technology Transfer Offices or TTOs).

A comparison of international contexts, along with an in-depth look at the case of Italy’s National Research Council (CNR), provides insight into the activities of protecting and enhancing intellectual property and supporting TT, including tools that help bring research results closer to market applications. This analysis highlights areas that still require attention to promote value creation from research activities and to improve TTO performance levels.