Mechanisms for dissemination of innovations : a case study of four Portuguese technology centres

Abstract

This paper looks at the feasibility of different mechanisms for disseminating innovations; understood in this paper to mean the planned and directed transfer effort by an agent. The agent is in this case illustrated by four different Portuguese Technology Centres working for the interests of their member companies within four distinct sectors. The Technology Centres (TCs) represent in the researcher’s opinion an appealing case in that they offer an angle on this topic closer to the industrial sector than is often found in other studies of the same kind, which are often focused at dissemination from public R&D laboratories. A case study approach is applied using interviews as the key instrument of data gathering. Furthermore, this paper views technology, knowledge, and innovation as socially constructed in a National System of Innovation where the TCs being one of many actors. It is suggested in the background of the findings in this study that dissemination activities should focus on two things: 1) Creating arenas where the parties can meet, thus enabling the stakeholders to negotiate and eliminate gaps stemming from tacit knowledge. These arenas should allow for relationships between actors to last in time since the adoption process is lengthy. 2) Focus on what is being disseminated; not only how since the ‘what’ may vary greatly from case to case. The results if sought applied can be seen as transferable to other practitioners apart from Technology Centres, in the field. They should however be applied with care as examining their ramifications have not been done in this study; they should merely be seen as guidelines.