ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an analytical staging ground for the development of hypotheses and propositions that explain why the commercialization of public sector Research and Development (R&D) findings and prototype technologies is infrequent and difficult. It analyses a series of case studies and aims to generate strategies for facilitating the implementation of publicly sponsored R&D. The most fundamental difference between public and private technology R&D activities is the difference in role and motivation. Private R&D is a business activity which pursues profitmaking opportunities by responding to market demands. Policy-responsiveness and mission orientation lead government agencies to organize technology R&D programs around “the proof of concepts.” Public sector agencies must typically serve and satisfy a more diverse clientele, which places conflicting demands on the agency’s staff and budget. Public sector R&D managers feel pressure to stay off the private sector’s turf and to avoid downstream research and development activities preempted by profit-seeking capital.
