The Technology Database: A Tool to Foster Technology Transfer at CERN

by Chris Parkman (CERN-DSU, Industry and Technology Liaison Office)

Tuesday 14 Dec 1999, 15:00 → 16:30 Europe/Zurich

40-S2-B01 (CERN)

In its session of March 10 of this year, the CERN Finance Committee approved a new policy for Technology Transfer at CERN. The policy document describes a database for CERN's technology with two principal objectives: to act as a point of contact between CERN and the Member States for the flow of technology information, and as a tool for the gathering and monitoring of technology developments at CERN. In the early part of the year, a prototype version of the database was made available on the CERN web site. With increasing use and as experience has been accumulated, its implementation and functionality have been progressively enhanced. Now regularly accessed by users at CERN, in the Member States and world-wide, at a rate of some 30 'hits' per day, it functions as a shop-window for CERN's technological developments. In addition to its public role, the database also acts as a tool for the various services concerned for the tracking of CERN's intellectual property rights protection procedures. This talk will describe the functionality of the database with some background information on its implementation. In addition, statistics based on the first nine months of its use will be presented.