Development of an effective technology transfer mechanism for the textile and apparel sector of Bangladesh by innovative capacity analysis

Abstract

Textile and apparel sector is the major industrial sector of Bangladesh and the economy is highly dependent on the development of this sector. The sector needs to develop its technological fundamentals and embrace continuous innovation for sustainable development in the future. But unfortunately, in spite of being the major industrial sector of the country it is still running with a combination of low, medium and high technologies haphazardly and there is no study what so ever in terms of its innovativeness and technological development. The objective of this research was to analyze the current practice of the industries, find out the gaps and develop an effective technology transfer mechanism. As the indigenous capability of the industries and institutes to create new technology is very poor in this country, the development of technological fundamentals of industries highly depends on the transferred technologies. Hence, the need of an effective technology transfer mechanism is indispensable. The method used in this research is a qualitative approach with quantitative analysis of the survey data. The methodology includes survey in the industries with appropriate questionnaire and data analysis on the industrial innovative capacity and the current technology transfer practices of the industries. Rationale study of the technology transfer mechanisms from the literature was done to create the theoretical foundation of the study. The outcome of this research creates a new concept of technology transfer mechanism and opens a wide scope for cross-fertilization of knowledge in technology management in the textile and apparel sector of Bangladesh. The major implications of this research is identified as a reliable guideline for industries to assess their individual innovative capacity and develop their technological fundamentals by adopting the new concepts of technology transfer mechanism. This research also can be used as a background document in institutes to design Technology Transfer Office (TTO) dedicated for the textile and apparel sector of Bangladesh.