Technology transfer is an important part of the business of scientific research.
The results of research and development efforts are not given real meaning until society enjoys some benefit from them. One way is by exploiting a commercial application of the results. Another way is to make the results available to the wider scientific community stimulating further scientific endeavour ultimately resulting in a societal improvement. Many researchers are often not in a position to take a development as far as the market place. In that common situation their technology needs to be transferred by one or more mechanisms to an entity which does have the requisite capability.