Technology Transfer

ATTC Technology Transfer Model

Created by the ATTC Tech Transfer Work Group, the model provides a clear conceptual framework for the technology transfer process and is a useful tool with practical applications.

Click here to visit the National ATTC site and learn more about the technology transfer model and its applications to policymakers, individual clinicians, organizations, clinical supervisors, and anyone involved in the process of making change.

Key Terms within the Model

Development – Creating and initially evaluating an innovation. An innovation can be an idea, technology, treatment
or method.
Translation – Explaining the essential elements and relevance of an innovation, then packaging it to facilitate
dissemination.
Dissemination ‐ Promoting awareness of an innovation with the goal of facilitating adoption and implementation.
Dissemination strategies include raising awareness, building knowledge, and distributing materials.
Adoption ‐ The process of deciding whether to use an innovation. Adoption may or may not lead to implementation.
Implementation – Incorporating an innovation into routine practice. Implementation ideally includes a range of
strategies designed to address individual, organizational, and systemic characteristics (e.g., skills training,
administrative buy‐in, and policy changes).
Diffusion – The planned or spontaneous spread of an innovation.
Technology transfer ‐ A multidimensional process that intentionally promotes the use of an innovation. Technology
transfer begins during the development of an innovation, continues through its dissemination, and extends into its
early implementation. This process requires multiple stakeholders and resources, and involves activities related to
the translation and adoption of an innovation. Technology transfer is designed to accelerate the diffusion of an
innovation.

Why is the Model Important for You?

> Facilitates communication by providing a standardized language
> Contextualizes the various stages of innovation so that key partners can better understand and prepare for
a multi‐tiered process of change
> Promotes the implementation of evidence‐based practices with high fidelity to the original research
> Increases satisfaction with the change process because all partners share a common understanding of the
stages involved
> Focuses your purchasing power because you know what outcomes to expect from the activities within each
stage