most governments now recognise that effective technology transfer is vital to innovation and competitiveness, but the process by which ideas flow from universities to industry is complex. several barriers can be identified: technological, cultural, legal and financial. such problems have often been seen in isolation, but it is clear that the problem of encouraging successful transfer is complex, requiring an interdisciplinary approach. the collection of papers in this volume is deliberately diverse, offering perspectives from economics, sociology, science, engineering and public administration, drawn both from within and outside academic life, from those at the sharp end of technology licensing and the administration of government research programmes. the range of national backgrounds of the writers encompasses ten countries. audience: those seeking to sell and acquire new ideas, particularly across national boundaries; policy makers and strategic planners in business and universities; academics in a range of science, technology and social science disciplines.