Adding International Dimensions to People and Technology

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of the motivation for and development of EUNET, an initiative to link technology transfer programmes involving young graduates in different European countries through the introduction of European technology transfer fellowships. With the participation of the CIFRE programme in France, TCS in the UK, Techstart in Ireland, and the Danish industrial PhD programme, the EUNET experiment generated considerable demand, was considered advantageous by sending and receiving organizations and researchers alike, and achieved, through the 21 fellowships awarded, a number of successful international transfers of knowledge, technology and techniques. It also promoted the benefits of establishing national programmes which link industry and the higher education/research sector for technology transfer and training. A further project, T3net, is now underway, with the participation of the original EUNET members plus Austria, Germany, Norway and Sweden. Stressing the increasing importance of such cross-European cooperation, the author argues that, when T3net ends in December 1998, there will be a need for flexible funding to create international links between local technology transfer and training programmes.