Technology Transfer for Rural Development

Several evaluations of R and D in the CSIR laboratories in the 1970s pointed to the gap between technology development and its application in rural areas and the weak interaction of scientists with external experts and users. There was no attempt to match the mechanisms of technology transfer to the technical and user conditions, to understand the users as systems and to manage technology transfer as an iterative/interactive process. This paper reports a study of the process of R and D management and technology transfer in the CSIR laboratories in recent years focussing on technologies specially being developed for rural areas. It suggests greater involvement of users in technology development and the establishment of a bridge organisation for technology transfer.