The globalization of R&D and international technology transfer in the 21st Century

The Twenty-First century was ushered in by an explosion of web based technology. The internet, the web, and satellite communications make it simple for anyone to access researchers and their published results anywhere in the world within minutes. The barriers to the most current research, that have existed for centuries between those countries that are able to make massive investments in research and development, and those with more modest financial research resources have been removed forever. This paradigm shift toward total globalization of participation in the most current aspects of research, development and technology will allow emerging industrialised economies to participate in the global knowledge economy on a more equal basis with the world's wealthiest nations. The objective of this paper is to review the experiences of TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for sub atomic physics research, in international science and global technology transfer, and to produce a framework for effective international commercialization of technology.