Depuis 5 à 10 ans, les recherches sont nombreuses sur la réduction de l'énergie en l'informatique (principalement sur la réduction de l'électricité). Plusieurs études ont en effet alerté les intervenants et les organismes environnementaux sur l'urgence du problème de la consommation d'énergie des infrastructures à grande échelle, comme les centres de données, l'informatique en nuage ??ou simplement les sociétés exploitant des serveurs et de nombreux équipements IT. Cette prise de conscience est passée d'un problème peu important à une contrainte majeure sur le fonctionnement de ces infrastructures. Dans certains cas, les coûts d'exploitation surpassent les coûts d'investissement, et de nouvelles méthodologies sont nécessaires pour réduire les coûts et l'impact écologique. De nouveaux matériels sont développés par les fabricants d'équipements pour diminuer ces coûts. Seules quelques techniques de base sont offertes aux niveaux logiciels et intergiciels, par les éditeurs. Mais dans les laboratoires, certaines techniques ont prouvé leur efficacité sur des données synthétiques, des tâches dédiées ou des applications sélectionnées, pour être en mesure d'économiser de l'énergie au cours de la vie d'une infrastructure, dans plusieurs contexte, depuis le Cloud au HPC. Malheureusement, le transfert (ou même la connaissance de l'existence) de ces techniques aux industries est limité à des partenaires de projets, des entreprises innovantes ou de grands centres de recherche privés, capables d'investir du temps (et donc de l'argent) sur ce sujet. Dans ma thèse, je m'intéresse sur les raisons de la faible adoption de plusieurs résultats de la recherche, des plus simples aux plus élaborés et je modélise les liens et les interactions entre les acteurs du transfert technologique. Le champ cible a été limité au Green IT (ou informatique éco-responsable), mais la méthodologie et les modèles développés peuvent être étendus à d'autres domaines. L'idée est d'identifier ce qui manque et comment augmenter la vitesse du transfert des connaissances scientifiques. La méthodologie est basée sur le cheminement suivant: d'abord, identifier les acteurs impliqués dans le processus de transfert technologique, comprendre leurs motivations, leurs moyens d'actions et leurs limites. Après une étude de l'état de l'art dans le domaine de la diffusion de l'innovation et de la gestion de l'innovation, cette phase a consisté à la production et l'analyse d'une enquête dédiée ciblant des chercheurs et des entreprises, de tailles et de chiffre d'affaire différentes, restreinte à ceux qui travaillent dans le Green IT. Identifier chaque acteur ne suffit pas, car ils interagissent, et par conséquent, leurs liens et le potentiel de ces liens pour le transfert technologique ont également été étudiés avec soin dans une deuxième phase afin d'identifier les plus importants, avec la même méthodologie que l'identification des acteurs. A partir de ces deux phases, un système multi-agents (SMA) a été conçu. / Over the past 5 to 10 years, research is numerous on energy reduction in IT (mainly electricity reduction). Several studies indeed alerted the stakeholders and environmental agencies on the urgency of the problem of the energy consumption of large scale infrastructures, like data centres, clouds or simply companies running servers and lots of IT equipment. This awareness moved from a non-so-important issue to major constraints on the operation of these infrastructures. In some cases, the operational costs reach the investment costs, urging new methodologies to appear in order to reduce costs and ecological impact. As of today, new hardware are developed by equipment manufacturers to decrease these costs. Only few and basic techniques are offered at the software and middleware levels out-of-the-box: But in laboratories, some techniques have proven on synthetic data, dedicated workflows or selected applications, to be able to save energy during the lifetime of an infrastructure, in several contexts, from Cloud to HPC in particular. Unfortunately, the transfer (or even the knowledge of the existence) of these techniques to industries is limited to project partners, innovative companies or large private research centres, able to invest time (thus money) on this topic. In my thesis, I investigate the reasons restraining the large adoption of several research results, from the simpler ones to more elaborated ones and I model the ties and interactions between the actors of the technological transfer. The target field has been restricted to Green IT but the methodology and the developed models can be extended to other domains as well. The idea is to identify, on the scale of technical maturity for wider adoption, what is missing and how to increase the speed of the transfer of scientific knowledge. The methodology is based on the following path: First, identifying the actors involved in the process of technology transfer, and understanding their motivations, their means of actions and their limitations. After a study of the state of the art in the domain of innovation diffusion and innovation management, this phase involved the production and the analysis of a dedicated survey targeting researchers and companies, from different size and turnover, restricted to those working in the Green IT field. Identifying each actor is not sufficient since they all interact; therefore their links and the potential of these links for technology transfer have also been studied carefully in a second phase so as to identify the most important ones, with the same methodology with the actors' identification. From these two phases, a multi-agent system (MAS) has been designed.

Data to understand the inventiveness and technology transfer process for medical devices in India is lacking and majority of medical devices are imported. The presence of a medical school in a university system is expected to enhance healthcare inventiveness. Universities with medical schools have 2.5 times more R&D expenditure and productivity than universities without medical schools. Therefore, the presence or absence of medical schools in universities serves as interesting samples for technology transfer analysis. This thesis focuses on medical device inventiveness and technology transfer office efficiencies of American universities. Three sample sets are used. The first is data from 1242 US universities, of which 734 had medical schools, and their Technology Transfer Office (TTO) productivity from years 1999-2008. The second consisted of 5693 medical device patents filed at USPTO by universities worldwide during years 1999-2008, including US universities. The third consisted of 32 cochlear implant university based patents from 7 primary patent classes in USPTO. Universities involved in medical device research (MDU) and universities not involved in medical device research (NMDU) are compared in our study to understand differences in their technology transfer activities. Initially, Social network analysis is used to understand the interrelatedness of technologies in university based research using patent classes. Degree, betweenness and closeness centrality of 32 cochlear implant patents (out of 345 overall filed patents in USPTO including corporate filings), showed the importance of universities’ R&D contribution to the overall evolution of cochlear implant technology. Dynamics in terms of emergence and disappearance of technologies (represented by US patent classes in years 1977 to 2012), are identified. Our study highlights that universities' research focus within medical device research is confined to few technology classes like surgery, drugs and body treating compositions for therapeutic purposes and image analysis. In these technology areas, universities share of patent holding is found to be more compared to other medical device technologies. Multivariate OLS and binary logistic regressions are used to understand university characteristics that influences amount of patenting by universities. Our study attempts to delineate and highlight university characteristics that may influence amount of patenting in general, i.e., across all technologies and specifically those university characteristics that may influence more patenting in medical device technologies. Our study establishes that university characteristic variables like age, public/private ownership and research productivity influences amount of patenting by universities in general, across all technologies. However, additional university characteristics like presence of medical school and expenditure on legal fees are found influencing amount of patenting in medical device technologies by universities. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used in our attempt to understand the efficiency of universities in transferring their technologies to industries. Interesting insights are obtained on observing slack obtained during DEA. Our study highlights that some universities may have to reduce their research expenditure in large scales and number of employees working in their technology transfer offices in large scales compared to other universities in order to improve their efficiency in technology transfer process. Our study establishes that in order to improve technology transfer efficiencies, MDUs with higher research expenditure may have to reduce their research expenditure in large volumes compared to universities with lesser research expenditures. However, these MDUs may not be required to greatly reduce their technology transfer employees as compared to universities with lesser research expenditures, in order to improve their technology transfer efficiencies. Moreover, MDUs generating more number of invention disclosures and receiving more faculty awards annually can increase their patenting, licensing and startups in smaller volumes, in order to improve their technology transfer efficiencies, as compared to universities generating lesser invention disclosures and receiving lesser faculty awards, which can increase their patenting and licensing in larger volumes.

This project updated the California State University, San Bernardino's Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization's Solicitation Management System (SMS) software, used to facilitate the processing of grant proposal solicitations. The SMS software update improved the interface so that it is more user-friendly, increased the processing speed, and added additional functions necessary to comply with new requirements. The software was rewritten using the Spring and Hibernate frameworks.

The national laboratories (NLs) play a critical role in the economic and social development of technological latecomer countries, yet no academic study has ever quantified how knowledge inflows and internal knowledge impact the performance of the NLs. This dissertation identifies and ranks the importance of factors pertaining to knowledge inflows and project-internal knowledge, which determine the success or failure of research projects in the NLs of Thailand. A survey of 123 project managers in the NLs, which covers 208 R&D projects, has been conducted. It consists of a questionnaire and unstructured interviews in which the project managers discuss their project(s). Data from the questionnaire are analyzed by factor analysis, multiple regression and logistic regression; qualitative data from the interviews are used to interpret the quantitative results from the questionnaire. The research finds that, regardless of a project's mission, knowledge inflows from outside the project group impact performance more significantly than knowledge from inside the project group does. Second, the capacity of R&D project groups within the NLs to absorb knowledge from external sources is very selective. Absorptive capacity does not just pertain to prior related knowledge; it is also a function of the source of external knowledge, the knowledge pathway into the project group, the source of complementary or substitutive knowledge that resides within the project group, and the mission to which the knowledge contributes. Third, the NLs face an ambidexterity challenge that is commonly observed in private industry--exploiting current capabilities interferes with the national laboratories' capability to explore. The discovery of selective absorption of knowledge provides practicing managers with a toolkit of micro-levers with which they can enhance performance as measured by a variety of metrics in highly specific ways. The dissertation also proposes and validates a theoretical framework for knowledge management that decomposes the national laboratory system into nine knowledge subsystems, which can be managed at a relatively low level of the organization. The methods by which this research has been conducted can be used as a tool to benchmark how knowledge management practices in different R&D organizations and environments impact performance. Guidelines for structural adjustments to the national innovation system, which are based on these contributions, should enable policymakers in most countries to implement an Open Innovation program for their national laboratories and enhance the ambidexterity of their organizations.

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

American research universities, especially over the past 30 years, have increasingly become involved in technology transfer activities. For public land grant institutions, involvement is largely inspired by a desire to maximize revenue opportunities and demonstrate economic relevance. This intrinsic case study addresses the efforts of a public, land grant and flagship institution, the University of Kentucky, to augment its technology transfer activities, with a specific focus on its attempts to spin off university technology-based firms. The data were gathered primarily through oral history interviews with technology transfer personnel, entrepreneurs, and spinoff personnel. Its purpose is to understand better the structure of the university’s technology transfer operations, the impact of changes in institutional administration and priorities on these efforts, and variables that challenge and accommodate accomplishment of organizational goals. The findings of this study indicate that the structure of technology transfer operations at the university is complex, and somewhat confounding. Administrative changes impact various groups differently than others, and a major challenge to the accomplishment of goals is funding. Moreover, distinct but related groups seem to lack consistent, overarching goals.

<p>This thesis investigates, describes and understands the extensive process of technology commercialization. What stages there are, important aspects and implications. It is structured as a case analysis of project CHRISGAS development. CHRISGAS is a Swedish project, based in Värnamo, developing the technique of direct gasification of biomass to fuels.</p><p>The work has its origin in the debate of the imminent climate changes, where society needs to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. The automotive sector (particularly transport) is significantly reliant. However, current attempts to transition to biofuels have not completely succeeded. New, efficient technologies must be commercialized, and the technology of wood gasification is said to be particularly promising for launching the next generation of biofuels.</p>

The word "offset" in the broad sense represents reciprocal trade advantages that result from economic agreements. However, as a result of increasing competition among suppliers due to the reduced global defense market, declining military budgets, and other aspects, buyers are able to influence the conditions under which major defense programs are obtained. Not only unions, defense industries, trade associations, and public, but also EU is involved. The Czech Republic as a member of these organizations has to follow their rules as well, and their views and policies regarding offsets might be different. The objective of this project is to examine what issues, if any, the Czech Republic faces concerning offsets implementation in international trade. This study will discuss briefly the history of the Czech Republic's participation in offsets, and its current policy, if any, towards using offset practices. The Czech Republic's goals in offset practices, and government support for them, would be another area of research. The Czech Republic is an EU member and therefore is obliged to follow policies implemented by these institutions. Whether there is any connection between the Czech government policy and EU policies will also be examined. Specifically, the project will focus on what should be done in future offsets implementation, and what to be aware of.

The aircraft industry is viewed as a prestigious industry by many countries. Emerging economies regard the establishment of aircraft production capabilities as contributing to their competitiveness and technological development. Therefore, in the defence aircraft industry, politics play a key role in competitiveness. Governments can strategically trade market access for technological development, often in the form of offset business. “Offset” is defined as an agreement in which a large system is bought and the seller assumes obligations that both benefit the buying nation and have long-term effects on the development of the buyer’s national industry. When the offset obligations are directly connected to the product or system sold, they are called “related offsets”. The realization of an offset agreement is in most cases including some form of technology transfer. Technology transfer is the transfer of technology from a sending company, to a receiving company, where it is implemented and adapted to use. The empirical data presented in this thesis were gathered through six in-depth studies performed at the unit for aircraft production at the Swedish company Saab. The findings from the studies are presented in six appended papers. The objective of this thesis is to extend the current understanding of technology transfer realization connected to related offsets within the defence aircraft industry. The research objective is fulfilled through the addressing of two research questions. The first research question aims to identify factors that can have a major effect on technology transfer realization in the research context. As an answer to the first research question. Following factors were identified: Capability gaps, Knowledge transfer, The purpose of related offset business, Seller’s fulfilment of offset obligations before contract termination, Related offset business include hierarchical levels, Related offset work package identification to meet the buyer’s request, and Assessment of the receiver in two steps, and finally Cultural and communication challenges. These factors set the basis for research question two. The second research question addresses how to manage future related offset technology transfer realization connected to aircraft production. As an answer to the second research question, a structured related offset process and facilitation tools for managing capability gaps between the sending and the receiving company was presented. The purpose of the suggested structure is to maintain the link between the negotiated related offset agreements and the employees, working to achieve the agreement within the realization of the technology transfer.

The concept of understanding one’s origin or existence spans across almost every sphere of social science; despite its popularity, there is still a lack of research exploring identity in the work setting of developing countries. This thesis aims to contribute to understanding identity processes of workers in developing countries through the lenses of social identity and post-colonialism. The rationale for using these areas lies in the perceived nature of identity processes for people in developing countries by taking into account historical and cultural influences; for social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), the “prototype” and “cohesion, solidarity and harmony” and for post-colonialism (Sen, 2006; Ekeh, 1975; Ekanola, 2006; Mizuno & Okazawa, 2009), “power”, the “dialectics of the colonized mind” and “social formations”. This thesis takes a socio-psychological approach, which is based on a qualitative research method; in particular, 47 in-depth interviews with professionals from the oil and gas sector of Nigeria form a key aspect of the research method. Findings reveal that social identity theory can be used to interpret the propensity of Nigerians to identify with groups. The thesis finds that social identity captures the importance attached to group identification through an understanding of the drivers and benefits of harmony to the self-concept in the chosen context. However the thesis also finds that social identity but does not cater for other integral aspects of identity processes, such as power and identity struggle. The thesis finds that by addressing the perception of perpetuated colonialism produced by the persistent domination of foreign workers in senior roles and their interaction with indigenous workers, post-colonial theory adequately covers issues of power and struggle. In summary, the thesis finds that the integration of social identity theory and post-colonial theory facilitates a more holistic interpretation of identity processes in regions like Nigeria. Hence this thesis contributes to the literature on identity processes in the work setting of a developing country.