PUBLIC-TO-PRIVATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SYSTEM IN KOREA: THE CASE OF THE REGIONAL CONSORTIUM OF TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OFFICES

This paper presents governmental policies and Korean system for public-to- private technology transfer (T2) with its focus on major changes that took place since the enactment of the Technology Transfer Promotion Act of 2000. Among those changes, the paper especially addresses the regional consortium of technology licensing offices (TLOs), which has been established successively in five regions since December 2001. The most outstanding features of the regional consortiums are that they are the first nation-wide regional network system based on technology suppliers such as universities and government-funded research institutes, and that their members effectively share core competency and experience in T2 through multilateral alliance. This paper describes the background, management system, and T2 activities of the regional consortiums. It also presents T2 and technology commercialization methods, based on the case of TLO consortium for metropolitan region. In addition, the paper envisions the mid- and long-term plan for the regional consortiums. We address several hurdles in managing the regional consortiums and provide lessons that can be of help to late-coming countries. Lastly, the paper suggests the future policy directions for activating public-to-private T2, followed by concluding remarks.