This is a study about transferring technology from Iranian universities to Iranian industry. The relationship between universities and industry is much weaker in Iran than it is in developed countries. Most of the Iranian universities have used the model of western universities, but this model does not seem to be able to solve the problems of Iranian industry. The connection between universities and industry in Iran is, therefore, not strong because industry cannot satisfy all of its needs through collaboration with universities. The study examines the existing technology transfer process from university to industry, the organizations involved, and the major decisions taken during technology transfer. In addition, the study uncovers the barriers for transferring the technology, examines different ways of establishing contacts, and considers the benefits gained from university-industry collaboration. To achieve these objectives, we conducted 31 interviews. The interviews revealed that companies were more proactive in establishing contacts with universities; in most situations they initiated contacts with the professors. However, the professor’s expertise, reputation, and ability to establish friendly relations with people from industry helped make these contacts successful. Professors measured the success of these transactions by the level of satisfaction the firm expressed with the technology. University liaison officers, most of whom initially had a reactive posture toward establishing these contacts, measured the success of these transactions by the amount of financial returns for the university. The most important barrier in universities to a successful technology transfer was lack of knowledge about the needs of industry. Within industry, the most important barrier was a poor knowledge about university research capabilities. In the process of the study, we also defined the important benefits gained from transferring knowledge. Most of the technologies that were transferred from university to industry were based on four processes. The first process is “professor centered” where professors and industry made direct contact with each other. In Iran about 52% of the technology transfers took place by this method. In the second process, which is “university-centered,” university liaison offices are responsible for linking university and industry together and helping them understand the potential and needs of the other one. Unfortunately, in Iran the tasks of these offices are not clearly defined and the process of technology transfer is bureaucratic and lengthy. Further, these offices are not active, as is evident from the fact that only 13% of the transfers were made by this method. In addition, these offices weren’t successful in solving the problems of intellectual property rights that the professors face. The third process is transferring projects through intermediary organizations. The intermediary organizations that were considered in this study are: Saffron research consortium, science and technology parks, and internship centers. The study showed that about 26% of the transfer projects were conducted by this mode. The fourth process is through the university research center; about 9% of the transfer projects were conducted in this way. In many of the research centers, which are frequently located on university campuses, members of the university and industry work together in researching ideas and developing innovations. This study is a first attempt to identify the major mechanisms of technology transfer from universities to industry in Iran. Recommendations from this research would be useful for other countries in the same stage of development.

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