Barriers and facilitators to technology transfer of NIDILRR grantees

PURPOSE

The objectives of this mixed-methods study were to gather survey and interview data about the barriers and facilitators from grantees funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) and to extract themes that could inform program changes that would increase technology translation (TT) success in assistive technology (AT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We developed a TT Barriers and Facilitators survey consisting of Likert scale and multiple-choice questions about barriers and facilitators to TT. With survey respondents who were willing, we conducting a semi-structured interview and asked pointed questions to expand upon survey response rankings and perceived barriers and facilitators. The questions were framed to explore the grantee's personal experience with ATTT and what helped and hindered their individualised processes.

RESULTS

Across survey and interview respondents, the three most common themes when exploring the barriers and facilitators of TT were funding, incentives, and collaboration.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that there is a need for increased collaboration and access to additional resources such as funding for pilot grants, support to assess technology marketability, help to navigate regulatory and legal aspects, and assistance in establishing goals to help grantees successfully transfer assistive technologies to consumers. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONA large amount of research and development into assistive technology does not lead to tech transfer which means that these technologies are not getting to the people that need them.Educating tech transfer offices at universities about how to transfer AT would improve outcomes greatly.Creating a community of practice where grantees can find academic or industry partners would also increase the likelihood of tech transfer.Some tools to catalyse these improvements are: mentoring, access to consultants, podcasts, and online training.

Technology transfer for green investments: exploring how technology transfer through foreign direct investments can contribute to sustainable practices and reduced environmental impact in OIC economies

Estimating the asymmetrical influence of foreign direct investment is the primary goal of the current study. In addition, further controlled variables affect environmental degradation in OIC nations. Due to this, current research employs the asymmetric (NPARDL) approach and the data period from 1980 to 2021 to estimate about viability of the EKC (environmental Kuznets curve) theory. The study utilized greenhouse gas (GHG) including emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and ecological footprint as substantial parameters of environmental quality. A nonlinear link between foreign direct investments, trade openness, economic growth, urbanization, energy consumption, and environmental pollution with CO2, N2O, CH4, and ecological footprint in the OIC nations is confirmed by the study's outcomes, which however reveals inconsistent results. Furthermore, the results also show that wrong conclusions might result from disregarding intrinsic nonlinearities. The study's conclusions provide the most important recommendations for decision-makers.

Organizational Network Analysis of SAMHSA's Technology Transfer Center (TTC) Network

Technology transfer centers (TTCs) facilitate the movement of evidence-based practices in behavioral healthcare from theory to practice. One of the largest such networks is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) TTC Network. This brief report shares findings from an organizational network analysis (ONA) of the network conducted as part of an external evaluation. For non-supervisory TTCs (n = 36) across three focus areas (addiction, prevention, and mental health), the authors computed network density, harmonic closeness, and non-null dyadic reciprocity for five types of interactions (e.g., "collaborated in workgroups"), then, for each interaction type, used Welch's T-test to compare mean harmonic closeness of standalone TTC grantees versus multiple-TTC grantees. ONA identified potentially isolated regional TTCs as well as mismatches between some centers' desired scope and their network centrality and enabled investigation of broader questions around behavioral health support systems. The approach appears useful for evaluating TTCs and similar support networks.

Evaluation framework for facilitating the technology transfers of universities: Focusing on the perspective of technology donors

Technological innovation and preoccupation with new markets through technological innovation have become critical factors in achieving success in the global market. Currently, companies cannot develop and commercialize all technologies. Therefore, the importance of technology transfers is rapidly increasing. Technology transfer is a crucial strategy adopted by organizations to remain innovative and competitive. However, Korea's technology transfer rate is only 37.9%. In particular, the technology transfer rate from universities to companies is lower than that from government-funded research institutes in Korea. Although the fundamental approach for resolving barriers to technology transfer have been studied, previous research has been conducted from a narrow definition of technology transfer. Furthermore, previous research has focused on analyzing the success factors of technology transfer, presenting technology transfer processes, or conducting case studies. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a technology donor diagnosis framework based on CSFs (Critical Success Factors) to eliminate obstacles to technology transfers. To lower the barriers to technology transfers, it is necessary to develop a strategy for a successful technology transfer based on the diagnosis of technology donors. This study develops a diagnosis framework for universities from the perspective of technology donors, implements and tests the framework using case studies, and proposes strategies for each stage of technology transfer growth. The framework is able to assess multidimensional perspectives, because CSFs and PMs were extracted based on BSC. Furthermore, by comparing the perspectives score of technology donors in different universities, technology donors can identify the areas in which each university is lacking in its current situation. Multidimensional diagnosis and aggregation score of technology donors offer to extract optimal CSFs for technology transfer activation for each growth stage.

Key considerations for the development of novel mRNA candidate vaccines in LMICs: A WHO/MPP mRNA Technology Transfer Programme meeting report

The WHO/MPP mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, initiated in 2021, focuses on establishing mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity in LMICs. On 17-21 April 2023, Programme partners were convened to review technology transfer progress, discuss sustainability aspects and promote mRNA product development for diseases relevant to LMICs. To help guide product development, this report introduces key considerations for for understanding the likelihood of technical and regulatory success and of policy development and procurement for mRNA vaccines to be developed and manufactured in LMICs. The report underscores the potential for LMICs to establish sustainable mRNA R&D pipelines.

Algorithms at the Gate-Radiology's AI Adoption Dilemma

In this Viewpoint a radiologist surveys the ascent of artificial intelligence (AI) in imaging and what the future likely holds for AI in this discipline.

Technology transfer during the COVID-19 pandemic: report on the first face-to-face practical training course in Brazil

MAIN RESULTS

Technology transfer can take place at large events, as long as safety protocols are strictly enforced. It is important to disseminate, at these events, the concepts of the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Implications for services: Face-to-face training course is fundamental for training public health professionals. Technology transfer between research institutions and health services results in updating and improving health system performance.

PERSPECTIVES

Based on the success of the reported technology transfer, a new module will be incorporated into the next edition of VEME (Panama 2022), entitled Virus Evolution to Public Health Policy Makers. The objective of this report was to describe the first face-to-face course aimed at training public health professionals in performing real-time genomic surveillance during the pandemic period. Experience report on a theoretical-practical course focusing on genomic research and surveillance, including mobile sequencing technologies, bioinformatics, phylogenetics and epidemiological modeling. There were 162 participants in the event and it was the first major face-to-face training course conducted during the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil. No cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected among the participants at the end of the event, suggesting the safety and effectiveness of all safety measures adopted. The results of this experience suggest that it is possible to conduct professional training safely during pandemics, as long as all safety protocols are followed.

Maturity assessment of software-driven medical technologies: a quantitative score derived from a quality standard for the research phase. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2023;2023:1-4. [PMID: 38082995 DOI: 10.1109/embc40787.2023.10341142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

Quantitatively assessing the level of readiness of medical technology improves its chance of successfully transfer from research to industry but remains a challenge. As many innovative medical devices are associated with or incorporate software, this article presents a methodology for evaluating the software maturity of a "Software-driven Medical Technology" (SdMT) during the research phase. A technological maturity model is developed by methodologically extracting relevant terms from the ISO/IEC 62304 standard, the main industry standard for medical device software, and results in a list of required software engineering artifacts. This list and the relative weight of the artifacts are used to establish a software maturity score for SdMT and the corresponding assessment questionnaire. The consistency of the model is demonstrated by analyzing the obtained score system relatively with the standard. The maturity score of a SdMT can be assessed during the research phase and depends on the number and importance of the artifacts already present at the time of evaluation.Clinical relevance- The proposed quantitative maturity score can help the medical technology innovation actors (clinicians, researchers and industrials) to better identify, improve and fasten the readiness of technology for clinical investigation and technology transfer.

Part 2: Past Practices, Current Best Practices, and Recommendations

Scale-up and transfer of lyophilization processes remain very challenging tasks considering the technical challenges and the high cost of the process itself. The challenges in scale-up and transfer were discussed in the first part of this paper and include vial breakage during freezing at commercial scale, cake resistance differences between scales, impact of differences in refrigeration capacities, and geometry on the performance of dryers. The second part of this work discusses successful and unsuccessful practices in scale-up and transfer based on the experience of the authors. Regulatory aspects of scale-up and transfer of lyophilization processes were also outlined including a topic on the equivalency of dryers. Based on an analysis of challenges and a summary of best practices, recommendations on scale-up and transfer of lyophilization processes are given including projections on future directions in this area of the freeze drying field. Recommendations on the choice of residual vacuum in the vials were also provided for a wide range of vial capacities.

Multivariate Pharma Technology Transfer Analysis: Civilization Diseases and COVID-19 Perspective

The importance of studying civilization diseases manifests itself in the impact of changing lifestyles, on the number of deaths and causes of death. Technology transfer plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of these diseases. Through this, it is possible to transfer new treatments and diagnostics to clinics and hospitals more quickly and effectively, which leads to better healthcare for patients. Technology transfer can also aid in the development of new drugs and therapies that can be effective in the treatment of civilization diseases. The paper aims to evaluate the technology transfer process in the field of civilization diseases, using COVID-19 as an example of a pandemic that requires quick development and transfer of technology. To achieve the assumed goal, we propose a multivariate synthetic ratio in the field of civilization diseases (SMTT-Synthetic Measure of Technology Transfer) to analyze data from the Global Data database. We used sub-measures like SMTT_value (Synthetic Measure of Technology Transfer_value) and SMTT_quantity (Synthetic Measure of Technology Transfer_quantity) to measure technology transfer and put the data into a graph. Our analysis focuses on 14 diseases over a period of 10 years (2012-2021) and includes nine forms of technology transfer, allowing us to create a tool for analysing the process in multiple dimensions. Our results show that COVID-19 is similar in terms of technology transfer to diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and breast cancer, even though data for COVID-19 is available for only 2 years.

Can air pollution reduce technology transfer? Evidence from China's prefecture-level cities

Air pollution hinders technological innovation, but the causal effects of air pollution on technology transfer are overlooked. We use thermal inversion as an instrumental variable for addressing air pollution endogeneity. The empirical results show that a one-unit increase in air pollution reduces technology transfer strength by 4.5 %. However, air pollution has a strong asymmetry in two directions of technology transfer strength. We find that those cities with worse pollution have an intention to transfer their technologies to cities in other provinces. In the PLFC model, heterogeneity varying with GDP can be addressed to estimate the marginal effect between them. Findings suggest that the marginal effects of air pollution on technology transfer can be divided into two parts based on GDP levels. Within the thresholds (lngdp = 11), the effect of environmental regulations will keep increasing and keep stable beyond the thresholds. In addition, different effects on different cities are also discussed.

A review of Optical Point-of-Care devices to Estimate the Technology Transfer of These Cutting-Edge Technologies

Despite the remarkable development related to Point-of-Care devices based on optical technology, their difficulties when used outside of research laboratories are notable. In this sense, it would be interesting to ask ourselves what the degree of transferability of the research work to the market is, for example, by analysing the relation between the scientific work developed and the registered one, through patent. In this work, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in the sector of optical Point-of-Care devices, not only in the research area but also regarding their transfer to market. To this end, we explored a methodology for searching articles and patents to obtain an indicator that relates to both. This figure of merit to estimate this transfer is based on classifying the relevant research articles in the area and the patents that have been generated from these ones. To delimit the scope of this study, we researched the results of a large enough number of publications in the period from 2015 to 2020, by using keywords "biosensor", "optic", and "device" to obtain the most representative articles from Web of Science and Scopus. Then, we classified them according to a particular classification of the optical PoC devices. Once we had this sampling frame, we defined a patent search strategy to cross-link the article with a registered patent (by surfing Google Patents) and classified them accordingly to the categories described. Finally, we proposed a relative figure called Index of Technology Transference (IoTT), which estimates to what extent our findings in science materialized in published articles are protected by patent.

Green Technology Transfer, Environmental Regulation, and Regional Green Development Chasm: Based on the Empirical Evidence from Yangtze River Delta

In the face of achieving the overall goal of emission peak and carbon neutrality, strengthening green technology transfer and environmental regulation is the key to narrowing the green technology gap and green development chasm between regions. This paper integrates green technology transfer, environmental regulation, and the green development chasm into one model, and analyzes the mechanism by which green technology transfer and environmental regulation impact the green development chasm. An empirical test was conducted by employing green technology transfer patent and panel data of the Yangtze River Delta from 2005-2019. The results are as follows: (1) Although the green development chasm still exists in the Yangtze River Delta, green technology transfer and environmental regulation have a positive impact on narrowing the regional green development chasm. Especially, the superposition of green technology transfer and environmental regulation can effectively make up for the lack of government and market regulation, and significantly promote the narrowing of the green development chasm. (2) Regional heterogeneity exists and developed regions can achieve the goal of narrowing the green development chasm by relying on green technology transfer or environmental regulation, while less developed regions must rely on the synergy of two dimensions. Thus, the coordination of green technology transfer and environmental regulation must be strengthened. Based on the above research, the main contributions of this paper are to analyze the theoretical mechanism of green technology transfer, environmental regulation, and regional green development chasm, to provide a theoretical and empirical basis for realizing the overall goal of regional green development, and suggestions for optimizing China's current policies.

The nexus between CO2 emissions, human capital, technology transfer, and renewable energy: evidence from Belt and Road countries

To sustain global warming below 2 °C, carbon dioxide emission mitigation has become an extensive worldwide priority. This paper proposes a comprehensive assessment by evaluating the effects of technology transfer, human capital, and renewable energy on carbon dioxide emissions among seven different regions along with the Belt and Road Initiatives from 2008 to 2018. Based on econometric estimations, it is found that human capital, renewable energy, and technology transfer show a negative but significant association with carbon dioxide emissions, indicating that an increase in human capital, renewable energy, and technology transfer can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the Belt and Road countries. On the other hand, we found a positive and significant relationship between carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, and foreign direct investment (FDI), indicating that economic growth and foreign direct investment increase carbon emissions. The findings of this study reveal that the adaptation of technology transfer, renewable energy consumption, and human capital are key factors in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the Belt and Road counties. Our findings provide evidence of the social advantages of investing in advanced human capital, renewable energy, and technology transfer suggesting a promising route for devoting climate change without impeding economic growth.

Bridging the Gap in Technology Transfer for Advanced Process Control with Industrial Applications

In the present paper, a software framework comprising the implementation of Model Predictive Control—a popular industrial control method—is presented. The framework is versatile and can be run on a variety of target systems including programmable logic controllers and distributed control system implementations. However, the main attractive property of the framework stems from the goal of achieving smooth technology transfer from the academic setting to real industrial applications. Technology transfer is, in general, difficult to achieve, because of the apparent disconnect between academic studies and actual industry. The proposed software framework aims at bridging this gap for model predictive control—a powerful control technique which can result in substantial performance improvement of industrial control loops, thus adhering to modern trends for reducing energy waste and fulfilling sustainable development goals. In the paper, the proposed solution is motivated and described, and experimental evidence of its successful deployment is provided using a real industrial plant.

federal agencies (1999–2016)

Around the world, governments make substantial investments in public sector research and development (R&D) entities and activities to generate major scientific and technical advances that may catalyze long-term economic growth. Institutions ranging from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to the French National Centre for Scientific Research to the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers conduct basic and applied R&D to create commercially valuable knowledge that supports the innovation goals of their respective government sponsors. Globally, the single largest public sector R&D sponsor is the U.S. federal government. In 2019 alone, the U.S. government allocated over $14.9 billion to federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), also known as national labs. However, little is known about how federal agencies’ utilization of FFRDCs, their modes of R&D collaboration, and their adoption of non-patent intellectual property (IP) policies (copyright protection and materials transfer agreements) affect agency-level performance in technology transfer. In particular, the lack of standardized metrics for quantitatively evaluating government entities’ effectiveness in managing innovation is a critical unresolved issue. We address this issue by conducting exploratory empirical analyses of federal agencies’ innovation management activities using both supply-side (filing ratio, transfer rate, and licensing success rate) and demand-side (licensing income and portfolio exclusivity) outcome metrics. We find economically significant effects of external R&D collaborations and non-patent IP policies on the technology transfer performance of 10 major federal executive branch agencies (fiscal years 1999–2016). We discuss the scholarly, managerial, and policy implications for ongoing and future evaluations of technology transfer at federal labs. We offer new insights and guidance on how critical differences in federal agencies’ interpretation and implementation of their R&D management practices in pursuit of their respective missions affect their technology transfer performance outcomes. We generalize key findings to address the broader innovation processes of public sector R&D entities worldwide.

Global COVID-19 Vaccine Inequity: Failures in the First Year of Distribution and Potential Solutions for the Future

Within the first year of distribution of vaccines against COVID-19, high-income countries (HICs) have achieved vaccination rates of 75-80%, whilst low-income countries (LICs) vaccinated <10%. This disparity in access has been one of the greatest failures of international cooperation during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Global COVID-19 vaccine inequity affects us all, with ongoing risk of new variants emerging until global herd immunity is strengthened. The current model of global vaccine distribution is based on financial competition for limited vaccine supplies, resulting in HICs getting first access to vaccines, with LICs being forced to rely on voluntary donations through schemes like COVAX. Pharmaceutical companies own the intellectual property (IP) rights for COVID-19 vaccines, allowing them to control manufacturing, distribution, and pricing. However, the pharmaceutical industry did not develop these vaccines alone, with billions of dollars of public funding being instrumental in their discovery and development. Solutions to enable global equitable access already exist. The next step in scale up of manufacture and distribution worldwide is equitable knowledge sharing and technology transfer. The World Health Organization centralized technology transfer hub would facilitate international cooperation. Investments made into developing this infrastructure benefit the COVID-19 response whilst promoting future pandemic preparedness. Whilst globally there is majority support for waivers of IP to facilitate this next step, key opponents blocking this move include the UK and other European countries which host large domestic pharmaceutical industries. A nationalistic approach is not effective during a global pandemic. International cooperation is essential to achieve global goals against COVID-19.

"A Light Bulb in Every House": The Istanbul General Electric Factory and American Technology Transfer to Turkey

In 1946, Turkish entrepreneur Vehbi Koç signed an agreement with the U.S. firm General Electric to build and operate its first light bulb factory in the Near/Middle East, in Istanbul. This private joint venture introduced new manufacturing techniques, business practices, and consumer habits to Turkey, opening channels of postwar technological exchange. Closer examination of the GE-Koç partnership reveals that during the early Cold War, the transfer and embedding of American technologies in Turkey was a politically complicated process of innovation that required constant adaptation. Fraught with unforeseeable obstacles, it also required cautious negotiation with multiple transnational actors. The story of the GE-Koç partnership thus adds a new dimension to historical understandings of the Turkish Cold War experience and the Americanization of the region. It illustrates how transferring a nonmilitary, soft-power, domestic technology-the light bulb-played a significant role in Turkish-American relations and therefore contributes to studies of U.S. Cold War diplomacy through transnational investment in innovation.

The enduring pursuit of public science at U.S. land-grant universities

Since the 1990s, universities have faced a push toward output commercialization that has been seen as a potential threat to the public science model. Much less attention has been given to the enduring nature of internal organizational features in academia and how they shape the pursuit of traditional scholarly activities. This article exploits four waves of representative, random-sample survey evidence from agricultural and life science faculty at the 52 major U.S. land-grant universities, spanning 1989-2015, to examine faculty attitudes/preferences, tenure and promotion criteria, output, and funding sources. Our findings demonstrate that faculty attitudes toward scientific research have remained remarkably stable over twenty-five years in strongly favoring intrinsic and public science goals over commercial or extrinsic goals. We also demonstrate the faculty's positive attitudes toward science, an increased pressure to publish in top journals and secure increasingly competitive grants, as well as declining time for science. These trends suggest a reconsideration of university commercialization strategies and a recommitment of universities and their state and federal funders toward fostering public agricultural and life science research.

Does social trust stimulate university technology transfer? Evidence from China

This paper examines the effect of social trust on university technology transfer. A large sample of Chinese universities from the 2007–2017 period was used. We find that social trust facilitates university technology transfer. The finding remain valid after a series of robustness. The mechanism test shows that social trust facilitates university technology transfer by improving the level of university-industry cooperative innovation. Our study suggests that social trust is an important factor that affects university technology transfer.

Developing a Framework for Designing and Deploying Technology-Assisted Rehabilitation After Stroke: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVE

Many unmet rehabilitation needs of patients with stroke can be addressed effectively using technology. However, technological solutions have not yet been seamlessly incorporated into clinical care. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine how to bridge the gaps between the recovery process, technology, and clinical practice to impact stroke rehabilitation meaningfully.

DESIGN

Semistructured interviews were performed using a grounded theory approach with purposive sampling of 17 diverse expert providers in acute care, inpatient, and outpatient stroke rehabilitation settings. Common themes were identified from qualitative analyses of the transcribed conversations to develop a guiding framework from the emerging concepts.

RESULTS

Four core themes emerged that addressed major barriers in stroke rehabilitation and technology-assisted solutions to overcome these barriers: (1) accessibility to quality rehabilitation, (2) adaptability to patient differences, (3) accountability or compliance with rehabilitation, and (4) engagement with rehabilitation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest a four-pronged framework, the A3E framework that stands for Accessibility, Adaptability, Accountability, and Engagement, to comprehensively address existing barriers in providing rehabilitation services. This framework can guide technology developers and clinicians in designing and deploying technology-assisted rehabilitation solutions for poststroke rehabilitation, particularly using telerehabilitation.

Identifying the nature and extent of public and donor concern about the commercialisation of biobanks for genomic research

Various forms of private investment are considered necessary for the sustainability of biobanks, yet pose significant challenges to public trust. To manage this tension, it is vital to identify the concerns of relevant stakeholders to ensure effective and acceptable policy and practice. This research examines the aspects of commercialisation that are of most concern to the Australian public (n = 800) and patients who had donated their tissue to two large disease specific (cancer) public biobanks (n = 564). Overall, we found a commercialisation effect (higher support for public relative to private) in relation to funding, research location and access to stored biospecimens. The effect was strongest for research locations and access compared to funding. A latent class analysis revealed the pattern of concern differed, with the majority (34.1%) opposing all aspects of commercialisation, a minority supporting all (15.7%), one quarter (26.8%) opposing some (sharing and selling tissue) but not others (research locations and funding), and a group who were unsure about most aspects but opposed selling tissue (23.5%). Patient donors were found to be more accepting of and unsure about most aspects of commercialisation. Members of the (general) public who were motivated to participate in biobanking were more likely to oppose some aspects while supporting others, while those who indicated they would not donate to a biobank were more likely to oppose all aspects of commercialisation. The results suggest that approaches to policy, engagement and awareness raising need to be tailored for different publics and patient groups to increase participation.

A blueprint for academic laboratories to produce SARS-CoV-2 quantitative RT-PCR test kits

Widespread testing for the presence of the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals remains vital for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic prior to the advent of an effective treatment. Challenges in testing can be traced to an initial shortage of supplies, expertise, and/or instrumentation necessary to detect the virus by quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR), the most robust, sensitive, and specific assay currently available. Here we show that academic biochemistry and molecular biology laboratories equipped with appropriate expertise and infrastructure can replicate commercially available SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR test kits and backfill pipeline shortages. The Georgia Tech COVID-19 Test Kit Support Group, composed of faculty, staff, and trainees across the biotechnology quad at Georgia Institute of Technology, synthesized multiplexed primers and probes and formulated a master mix composed of enzymes and proteins produced in-house. Our in-house kit compares favorably with a commercial product used for diagnostic testing. We also developed an environmental testing protocol to readily monitor surfaces for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Our blueprint should be readily reproducible by research teams at other institutions, and our protocols may be modified and adapted to enable SARS-CoV-2 detection in more resource-limited settings.

[Reflections on the Key Points in the Establishment of the Guidelines for Class II Medical Device Technical Review-Example of Intraoral Digital Dental Impression]

Technical Review Guidelines of Medical Devices are standards to standardize and unify registration review of medical devices marketed in China. The writing quality of the guidelines affects not only the time for technical evaluation, but also the safety and effectiveness of approved products. Based on authors' practices of nearly 30 class II medical equipment technical guidelines written and 20-year experience in class II medical device evaluation, this study takes intraoral digital dental impressions as an example to put forward several key points of sections "summary" and "research data" in the guidelines, for researchers on class II medical equipment technical guidelines reference.

MEDICINES: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO PRODUCTION, CESSION OF OWNERSHIP RIGHTS FOR REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES AND TRANSFER OF PRODUCTION IN CONDITIONS OF MODERN CHALLENGES TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

The issue of technology transfer to the production of medicines, cession of ownership rights to registration certificates and transfer of the production of medicines in the context of modern challenges to international and national security are investigated in the article. The attention is focused on ensuring the public interest in health care. Emphasis is placed on the human right to effective, safe, high-quality medicines, on ensuring the right to entrepreneurial activity in the field of circulation of medicines. The purpose of this article is to identify areas of international cooperation in the field of technology transfer to the production of medicines and new approaches to the application of legal rules governing legal relations by Ukrainian Courts in the field of circulation of medicines related to the cession of ownership of registration certificates for medicines and transferring the production of medicines from one country to another. The object of the study is the public relations that arise during the transfer of technology to the production of medicines and public relations in the field of circulation of medicines, associated with the cession of ownership of registration certificates for medicines and the transfer of production from one country to another. The methodological basis of the research are general and special methods of scientific knowledge (formal-logical method, comparative-legal, structural-logical). As a result of the conducted research, the directions of international cooperation of states in the field of technology transfer to the production of medicines are defined. The idea of the existing in domestic legal science of a special kind of public interest, that is national security, has been improved. It is argued that it is specified not only by the support of the national manufacturer, but also by the central executive body, taking up measures to withdraw from circulation of drugs within one country, that have been manufactured in another country or on the territories not controlled by the Government, motivated by inability to ensure proper quality control of medicines. It is emphasized that decision-making on the issue of re-registration of medicinal products does not provide for the right of the subject of power to act at its own discretion. New approaches to the application of legal norms by the courts of Ukraine governing legal relations in the field of circulation of medicinal products related to the cession of ownership of registration certificates for medicinal products and the transfer of production from one country to another have been revealed.

Bound by Infinities: Technology, Immediacy and Our Environmental Crisis

This paper explores the relationship between human desire, technology, and imagination, emphasizing (1) the phenomenology of this relationship, and (2) its ontological and ecological ramifications. Drawing on the work of Bion and Winnicott, the paper will develop a psychoanalytic container for attitudes contributing to our current climate-based crisis, paying special attention to the problematic effect technology has had on our sense of time and place. Many of our technologies stunt sensuous engagement, collapse psychic space, diminish our capacity to tolerate frustration, and blind us to our dependence on worlds beyond the human. In short, our technologies trouble our relationship to our bodies and other bodies. The paper argues that omnipotent fantasies organizing our relationship to technology, to each other, and to the nonhuman world, have cocooned us in a kind of virtual reality that devastates a sense of deep obligation to the environment.

Preparedness against pandemic influenza: Production of an oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant in Brazil

Increasing pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity is considered strategic by WHO. Adjuvant use is key in this strategy in order to spare the vaccine doses and by increasing immune protection. We describe here the production and stability studies of a squalene based oil-in-water emulsion, adjuvant IB160, and the immune response of the H7N9 vaccine combined with IB160. To qualify the production of IB160 we produced 10 consistency lots of IB160 and the average results were: pH 6.4±0.05; squalene 48.8±.0.03 mg/ml; osmolality 47.6±6.9 mmol/kg; Z-average 157±2 nm, with polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.085±0.024 and endotoxin levels <0.5 EU/mL. The emulsion particle size was stable for at least six months at 25°C and 24 months at 4–8°C. Two doses of H7N9 vaccine formulated at 7.5 μg/dose or 15 μg/dose with adjuvant IB160 showed a significant increase of hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers in sera of immunized BALB/c mice when compared to control sera from animals immunized with the H7N9 antigens without adjuvant. Thus the antigen-sparing capacity of IB160 can potentially increase the production of the H7N9 pandemic vaccine and represents an important achievement for preparedness against pandemic influenza and a successful North (IDRI) to South (Butantan Institute) technology transfer for the production of the adjuvant emulsion IB160.

The Plasma Mobile, 'A gift from heaven': The impact of health technology transfer on trial perceptions and expectations during the Ebola-Tx Trial, Conakry

During the West African Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic from 2014 to 2016, a variety of technologies travelled considering the context of the emergency: a highly contagious fast-killing disease outbreak with no known remedy and a rapidly increasing number of cases. The Ebola-Tx clinical trial tested the efficacy of Convalescent Plasma (CP) as a treatment for EVD in Guinea. This paper is based on ethnographic research in the Ebola-Tx trial and focuses on the introduction of a mobile plasma collection centre, referred to as the 'Plasma Mobile', equipped with plasmapheresis and pathogen inactivation technologies, as well as how the transfer itself of this technology entailed complex effects on CP donors as trial participants (i.e. providers of the therapeutic product), directly involved staff and more broadly on the trial implementation as a whole. The transfer led to the emergence of a dimension of hope as CP donors hoped that the plasma would cure and, as providers of the therapeutic, hoped it would decrease their stigmatization and the economic impact of the disease. We conclude that, in light of the intricate effects that the transfer of such health technology can entail-in the localization to the specific context, as well as in the consequences they can have on actors involved in the implementation of such technologies-global health technologies should be put at the services of next epidemic and pandemic (preparedness) on condition that they are accompanied by an understanding of the technologies' own cultural meanings and social understandings.

Integrating the gender dimension in teaching, research content & knowledge and technology transfer: Validating the EFFORTI evaluation framework through three case studies in Europe

Gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research is one of the six European Research Area (ERA) priorities. Integrating the gender dimension in research content and teaching is one of its three objectives. It is arguably the objective where least progress has been made. In this article we contribute to the evidence base by applying the EFFORTI evaluation framework to three empirical case study interventions that aim to integrate the gender dimension in tertiary education and research content. Comparison is based on an evaluation of the design of the intervention, those factors that have enabled/ hindered its implementation as well as an assessment of outcomes and impacts. The findings of the case studies highlight the importance of design, specifically regarding resources, legal status and the definition and operationalisation of the gender concept. Implementation hinges on top-level institutional commitment and mainstreaming gender studies with support of a central unit and crucially gender competence. A lack of recognition and status of gender studies and subsequent innovations was seen to hamper implementation. Outcomes and impacts included an increased awareness and interest in gender, increased gender competence, a push towards gender equality regarding representation and organisational change as well as an improved accreditation process and more and better research.

International mHealth Research: Old Tools and New Challenges

In this paper, we outline the policy implications of mobile health research conducted at the international level. We describe the manner in which such research may have an international dimension and argue that it is not likely to be excluded from conventionally applicable international regulatory tools. We suggest that closer policy attention is needed for this rapidly proliferating approach to health research.

The Business of DNA Nanotechnology: Commercialization of Origami and Other Technologies

It is often argued that DNA nanotechnology has a multitude of possible applications. However, despite great advances in the understanding of the fundamental principles of the field, to date, there has been comparatively little commercial activity. Analysis of patent applications and company case studies suggests that this is now starting to change. The number of patent application filings is increasing, and new companies are being formed to exploit technologies based on nanoscale structures and devices made from DNA. There are parallels between the commercial developments in this field and those observed in other areas of innovation. Further commercialization is expected and new players will emerge.

Maternal immunization against Group B streptococcus: World Health Organization research and development technological roadmap and preferred product characteristics

Group B streptococcus, found in the vagina or lower gastrointestinal tract of about 10-40% of women of reproductive age, is a leading cause of early life invasive bacterial disease, potentially amenable to prevention through maternal immunization during pregnancy. Following a consultation process with global stakeholders, the World Health Organization is herein proposing priority research and development pathways and preferred product characteristics for GBS vaccines, with the aim to facilitate and accelerate vaccine licensure, policy recommendation for wide scale use and implementation.

Customer discovery as a tool for moving behavioral interventions into the marketplace: insights from the NCI SPRINT program

The National Cancer Institute established a dissemination and implementation accelerator program called Speeding Research-tested INTerventions (SPRINT) in order to expedite the translation of behavioral research into practice. The goal of SPRINT is to introduce researchers to a new method for moving their research into practice in order to increase the real-world impact of their evidence-based interventions. The goal of this article is to present case studies on three teams that have completed the SPRINT program to date. Each case study provides a description of the intervention the team came into the program with, the team's motivation for participating in the SPRINT program, the team's experience in the program, lessons learned from "customer discovery" interviews conducted by the team during the course, and the team's future plans for their intervention. The case studies suggest that by focusing on behavioral researchers, SPRINT addresses an unmet need in the commercialization training space; that the definition of "success" can vary across SPRINT projects; that identifying and engaging "payors" for behavioral interventions is an ongoing challenge; and that there are potential "misalignments" between the research process and market demands. Overall, these examples show that customer discovery is a potentially useful method for making interventions more responsive to the needs of stakeholders, and that researchers can benefit from learning the "language" of business and working with individuals who have business experience before trying to move their research from the lab to the real world.

Effectivity-ecosphere-economics in nZEB retrofit procedures

Sustainable development has by now become an element deeply integrated in the everyday design. It has many shades and may be found under many names. We speak about resiliency in design and procurement of passive, ecologic, plus energy, or nZEB buildings. Nevertheless, if we look closely, we may distinguish certain characteristic ideas. First, sustainable development of societies and urbanization processes should be consistent on a deeper level than presently, and be included within design processes, organization, and planning, as well as modernization and redevelopment procedures of existing urban tissue. Secondly, urbanization should be perceived holistically, as an interaction and harmonious development of both natural and manmade environments, with solutions based on the best technical and technological standards available. Lastly, described ideas are achievable only, if we include continuous cooperation between urban planners, architects, specialist consultants, as well as energy-efficient interdisciplinary solutions to achieve high standard energy measures. One of the thresholds is economic feasibility; the other is health and well-being of the users which should always be discussed as a priority. This paper-outside a brief theoretical approach to initial procedures in design management-will dwell on transformation and modernization of an existing building belonging to the Warsaw University of Technology, one of the oldest universities in Poland, its founding dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century. In 2015, a Nordic Finance Mechanism grant dedicated to the nZEB technology transfer from Norway to Poland was awarded to a group of researchers from Warsaw University of Technology and NTNU Trondheim. The main aim of the project is implementation of nZEB knowledge in Poland, as well as preparation of two integrated concept designs for public (University) buildings as exemplary case studies which could act as the benchmarks for other public buildings.

The commercialization of the biomedical sciences: (mis)understanding bias

The growing commercialization of scientific research has raised important concerns about industry bias. According to some evidence, so-called industry bias can affect the integrity of the science as well as the direction of the research agenda. I argue that conceptualizing industry's influence in scientific research in terms of bias is unhelpful. Insofar as industry sponsorship negatively affects the integrity of the research, it does so through biasing mechanisms that can affect any research independently of the source of funding. Talk about industry bias thus offers no insight into the particular epistemic shortcomings at stake. If the concern is with the negative effects that industry funding can have on the research agenda, conceptualizing this influence as bias obscures the ways in which such impact is problematic and limits our ability to offer solutions that can successfully address the concerns raised by the growing role of private funding in science.

BioStruct-Africa: empowering Africa-based scientists through structural biology knowledge transfer and mentoring - recent advances and future perspectives

Being able to visualize biology at the molecular level is essential for our understanding of the world. A structural biology approach reveals the molecular basis of disease processes and can guide the design of new drugs as well as aid in the optimization of existing medicines. However, due to the lack of a synchrotron light source, adequate infrastructure, skilled persons and incentives for scientists in addition to limited financial support, the majority of countries across the African continent do not conduct structural biology research. Nevertheless, with technological advances such as robotic protein crystallization and remote data collection capabilities offered by many synchrotron light sources, X-ray crystallography is now potentially accessible to Africa-based scientists. This leap in technology led to the establishment in 2017 of BioStruct-Africa, a non-profit organization (Swedish corporate ID: 802509-6689) whose core aim is capacity building for African students and researchers in the field of structural biology with a focus on prevalent diseases in the African continent. The team is mainly composed of, but not limited to, a group of structural biologists from the African diaspora. The members of BioStruct-Africa have taken up the mantle to serve as a catalyst in order to facilitate the information and technology transfer to those with the greatest desire and need within Africa. BioStruct-Africa achieves this by organizing workshops onsite at our partner universities and institutions based in Africa, followed by post-hoc online mentoring of participants to ensure sustainable capacity building. The workshops provide a theoretical background on protein crystallography, hands-on practical experience in protein crystallization, crystal harvesting and cryo-cooling, live remote data collection on a synchrotron beamline, but most importantly the links to drive further collaboration through research. Capacity building for Africa-based researchers in structural biology is crucial to win the fight against the neglected tropical diseases, e.g. ascariasis, hookworm, trichuriasis, lymphatic filariasis, active trachoma, loiasis, yellow fever, leprosy, rabies, sleeping sickness, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, etc., that constitute significant health, social and economic burdens to the continent. BioStruct-Africa aims to build local and national expertise that will have direct benefits for healthcare within the continent.

Government Initiative in Brazilian Public Health: A Technology Transfer Analysis

The objective of this research is to analyze the transfer of technology developed by the commercial and industrial compensation policy of the initiative of the Plan of Expansion of Radiotherapy of the Ministry of Health. The data of the organization subsidized by the Plan of Expansion of Radiotherapy were obtained through research documentary, interviews with professionals and participant observation. The methodological strategy consisted of a case study supported by a cross-sectional study, the internal environment was analyzed with variables found in the literature, allowing its comprehension in a certain hospital situation. The results revealed that the initiatives of introduction of radiotherapy equipment by the Expansion Plan suffered numerous confrontations within the contextual and organizational circumstances that affected its development and effectiveness. Given the struggles of the Expansion Plan at the tactical and operational levels of decision-making, there are challenges that require responses from organizations involved in the process to implement the trade agreement established by the compensation policy, with the initial stage being highlighted as a technology transfer process. Due to management skills and expertise, it gives you the paradigm status to be followed based on the relevant dimensions and indicators of the technology transfer analysis.

Expectations of telemedicine health service adoption in rural Bangladesh

This study analyzes the antecedent factors that influence patients' expectations of telemedicine adoption in centres hosted by rural public hospitals in Bangladesh. It examines five antecedents of patients' expectations of telemedicine adoption-self-efficacy, telemedicine experience, knowledge, enjoyment, and prior satisfaction. A conceptual research model was formulated, encompassing a set of hypotheses that were developed and tested by employing partial least squares structural equation modelling. Using a structured survey questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 500 telemedicine users in different rural areas in Bangladesh. Except knowledge, four antecedents significantly contribute to patients' expectations of telemedicine health service adoption explaining 66% of the variance (R²) in expectations. These findings provide support for explaining antecedents to the formation of patients' expectations of telemedicine adoption and the institutionalisation of favourable policy guidelines as an early guidance for the development of successful healthcare industries in Bangladesh and other similar settings. Specific policy interventions and recommendations are provided, including current research limitations leading to opportunities for future research.

Science, Technology and Innovation as Social Goods for Development: Rethinking Research Capacity Building from Sen's Capabilities Approach

Science and technology are key to economic and social development, yet the capacity for scientific innovation remains globally unequally distributed. Although a priority for development cooperation, building or developing research capacity is often reduced in practice to promoting knowledge transfers, for example through North-South partnerships. Research capacity building/development tends to focus on developing scientists' technical competencies through training, without parallel investments to develop and sustain the socioeconomic and political structures that facilitate knowledge creation. This, the paper argues, significantly contributes to the scientific divide between developed and developing countries more than any skills shortage. Using Charles Taylor's concept of irreducibly social goods, the paper extends Sen's Capabilities Approach beyond its traditional focus on individual entitlements to present a view of scientific knowledge as a social good and the capability to produce it as a social capability. Expanding this capability requires going beyond current fragmented approaches to research capacity building to holistically strengthen the different social, political and economic structures that make up a nation's innovation system. This has implications for the interpretation of human rights instruments beyond their current focus on access to knowledge and for focusing science policy and global research partnerships to design approaches to capacity building/development beyond individual training/skills building.

How Can We Improve the Transformation Success Rate of Research Results in the Pharmaceutical Industry? The Game Theoretic Model of Technology Transfer Subjects

University–industry technology transfer (UITT) plays an important role in the construction of the national pharmaceutical innovation system. The speculations of a faculty inventor may hinder the successful transfer of pharmaceutical research results. This paper divides the specific process of the transformation of pharmaceutical research results into two parts: (1) an evolutionary game between faculty inventors and universities; and (2) a Stackelberg game between faculty inventors and pharmaceutical companies. Further, we carry out numerical simulations to analyze the impact of transformation success rate, income distribution coefficient, and a faculty inventor’s future working years on the transformation of pharmaceutical research results. The findings indicated that whether a combination of action strategies of faculty inventors and universities can evolve to the optimal equilibrium is determined by many factors, such as the technological transaction price of the pharmaceutical company and the reward or the income obtained by the faculty inventor. The transformation success rate and the income distribution coefficient are the key factors that affect the faculty inventor’s will and the behavior of the pharmaceutical company. The conclusions of this paper contribute to the research on how we can improve the success rate of research results and avoid resource waste, and provide a decision-making reference for the management of pharmaceutical research results in universities.

Gift of Sight: Stem-Cell Patches for Wet and Dry Macular Degeneration

Regenerative Patch Technologies LLC was founded by Mark Humayun, MD, PhD, and David R. Hinton, MD, from the University of Southern California; and Dennis O. Clegg, PhD, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. The technology to produce the stem cell-based retinal implant is exclusively licensed to Regenerative Patch Technologies LLC from the University of Southern California, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Humayun and Hinton have an equity interest in and are consultants for Regenerative Patch Technologies LLC.