Role of Information and Information Providers in Technology Transfer

Role of Information and Information Providers in Technology Transfer

Technology transfer is an essential component of economic change in society. Developers of new technology often fail to realize that there is a science to technology transfer. This lack of appreciation for the skills involved in information dissemination and in activities necessary to affect a change of action in an audience often severely limits the rate and amount of technology transfer that occurs. Significant differences exist between doing a news release or writing a publication and causing audience acceptance of a new technology. The old standards of expecting adoption of a new technology simply because it “will profit farmers” or because it is tested and recommended by “revered” public researchers has not been, and will not be sufficient to cause acceptance. Instead it is necessary to consider the audience and how its concerns relate to technology adoption, how audiences learn (which varies with different audiences), and match the presentation methods to the learning preferences of the specific audience.