Full reports of Phases I and II of this project are available here:
At Gleneagles in July 2005, the G8 highlighted the importance of strengthening technology cooperation between developed and developing nations to develop and deploy low carbon energy options globally. Many developing countries pressed for a new approach to international cooperation in the area of clean energy technologies. As a follow-up to this, the UK Government and the Government of India decided to collaborate on a study to assess the barriers to the transfer of low carbon energy technology between developed and developing countries.
The Sussex Energy Group (SEG) in SPRU (Science and Technology Policy Research) at the University of Sussex, in partnership with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, India) and IDS (Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK) were jointly commissioned by Defra and the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests to undertake this study. The aim of the study is to facilitate technological co-operation between developed and developing countries. It is envisaged that the study will help to inform intergovernmental discussions about the development and transfer of low carbon energy technologies.
Of particular importance are discussions under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Gleneagles Dialogue on Clean Energy, Sustainable Development and Climate Change. The study focuses primarily on technology transfer to India. It is, however, hoped that the insights provided by the study can usefully inform more general discussions on low carbon technology transfer to developing countries.
Phase I of the study analysed five case studies of low carbon technologies at different stages of development.
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Stage of technology development |
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Sectors |
Pre-commercial |
Supported commercial |
Comercial but slow diffusion |
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Low-carbon power generation technologies |
Coal gassification including IGCC |
Biomass including fuel supply chain issues |
Improving combustion efficiency |
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Network/infrastructure technologies |
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Low carbon end use technologies |
LED lighting |
Hybrid vehicles |
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This highlighted a series of key considerations for informing policy aimed at facilitating low carbon technology transfer, namely:
1. There is no "one policy fits all" solution to facilitating low carbon technology transfer. Relevant policy interventions vary according to the nature of the technology, its stage of commercial development and the political and economic characteristics of both supplier and recipient countries.
2. Due to the early stage of development of many low carbon technologies, vertical technology transfer (transfer of technologies from the research and development stage through to commercialisation) is as much an issue as horizontal technology transfer (transfer from one geographical location to another, including transfer from developed to developing countries). The nature of the barriers encountered will also vary according to stage of technology development.
3. In order to be sustainable, technology transfer must take place as part of a wider process of technological capacity building in developing countries, which relies on the transfer of knowledge and expertise as well as hardware during the technology transfer process.
4. Recipient firms must take a strategic approach to acquiring knowledge and expertise as part of the technology transfer process.
5. Less integrated approaches to technology transfer that include the use of recipient country manufacturers to supply parts and labour are more likely to improve technological capacity within recipient countries.
6. Improving firms' capacity to absorb new technologies is essential to enabling firms to take full advantage of new low carbon technologies.
7. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) may be a necessary, but not sufficient requirement for successful technology transfer. New, internationally collaborative approaches to low carbon technology research and development may have a role to play in overcoming IPR issues in future at the same time as contributing to building technological capacity in developing countries. Further targeted empirical research is urgently required in these areas to move international negotiations forward from polemic to informed debate.
The executive summary to Phase I can be found here and the full study can be found here.
Phase II will look in more depth at three key areas in order to develop concrete policy tools and recommendations. These are:
1. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)
To what extent and under what circumstances are IPRs a barrier to low carbon technology transfer? If IPRs are a barrier what is the most effective policy to overcome this?
2. Collaborative research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D) initiatives
What characteristics of collaborative RDD&D initiatives make them most effective for developing technological capacity within developing countries? Is there a role here for overcoming IPR related issues?
3. A taxonomy of barriers to low carbon technology transfer
Is it possible, on the basis of generic characteristics (e.g. stage of technology development or sector), to develop a practical framework for policy makers that sets out specific barriers and policy implications thereof that are likely to be encountered in relation to low carbon technologies?
Read the full Phase II report here.
Recent reports, including a review of existing empirical work on technology transfer and IPRs, are available below
SPRU TERI IDS Phase 2 IPRs and low C TT final [PDF 87KB]
SPRU TERI IDS Phase 2 scoping phase outline final [PDF 105KB]
For more information contact David Ockwell d.g.ockwell@sussex.ac.uk