Evaluating the Status of Technologies Transferred to Users: Evidence at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia

Abstract

Increasing demands but lack of adoption for technologies are the key challenges of technology transfer. The level of utilization with improved technologies and advanced systems are limited. The objective of this paper was to examine the status of transferred technologies and to evaluate determinants that influenced the functioning of transferred technologies. This study is conducted at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. All 135 investigators who granted technology transfer projects between 2012 and 2021 were taken for the study. Participant observation, questionnaire, document review and focused group discussion were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, qualitative narrations, and Binary Logit econometric model were employed for data analysis. The study results revealed that 11% of principal investigators were females. About 87.4% and 12.6% investigators were 2nd and 3rd degree holders, respectively. The proportion of soft and hard system granted projects were 44.4% and 55.6%. About 34.1% and 29.6% of the technologies were transferred and utilized to end users. About 13.0% of the adopted technologies have possibility of making business or startups and some of them can be used for manufacturing industries. The model results indicated that college types, year of granting, type of technologies and transfer, implementation and technology users are positively influenced the functioning of technologies while age of college and field distance negatively affected the utilization of technologies. Therefore, adequate time and budget, and data-base management systems are suggested for effective functioning and sustainability of transferred technologies.