Facilitating Knowledge and Technology
Transfer via a Technology Radar
as an Open and Collaborative Tool
Marko Berndt and Dana Mietzner
Abstract Digitalization is a key driver throughout all drivers of change because its
emerging and rapidly changing digital technologies lead to new products, services,
and/or business models. Actors working in knowledge and technology transfer
constantly have to keep up with the latest technological developments and cope
with their enormous implications. To face these challenges, a variety of knowledge
and technology transfer methods exist. This chapter provides an overview of these
methods and illuminates the technology radar method as a potential digital tool for
facilitating knowledge and technology transfer. Following the lean approach by Eric
Ries, we document the process of the development of the technology radar. We
present a web-based technology radar that is accessible to everyone on nearly any
device, which encourages collaborative development. User testing with experts in
the field of knowledge and technology transfer delivers insights and feedback for the
further development of this digital tool. The results are conclusively discussed and
then an outlook on the upcoming version of the technology radar, as well as different
forms of usage in terms of knowledge and technology transfer, is provided.
Keywords Technology scouting · Technology transfer · Technology radar · Lean
method · Digital tool · Collaborative tool · Open tool
1 Introduction
Drivers of change such as demographics, societal values, and digitalization signifi-
cantly influence enterprises across the globe. But the strength of future densification
in the face of increasingly rapid social, technical, and cultural changes is seen most
clearly in the world of digital technology (Pelton, 2019, p. 64). The music industry
provides an example of this rapid change. Almost 15 years ago, Apple revolutionized
M. Berndt · D. Mietzner (B )
Technical University of Applied, Sciences Wildau, Hochschulring 1, 15745 Wildau, Germany
e-mail: dana.mietzner@th-wildau.de
M. Berndt
e-mail: marko.berndt@th-wildau.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
D. Mietzner and C. Schultz (eds.), New Perspectives in Technology Transfer, FGF Studies
in Small Business and Entrepreneurship,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61477-5_12
207