Agricultural Biotechnology: Economic Development through New Products, Partnerships, and Workforce Development—was the first conference to focus primarily on vehicles for transfer of knowledge generated mainly in the publicly-funded sector to benefits. Knowledge generation by universities, government laboratories and research institutions produces science, technology and intellectual property (IP). Historically, agriculture has used the extension service to deliver benefits from this knowledge to farmers and consumers. During the past 25 years, the need to protect increasingly complex IP (such as biotechnology) has been recognized increasingly as a necessary first step for investment of risk capital to deliver benefits—economic growth, job creation, and value-added products, processes and services—resulting from generation of knowledge. A diversity of vehicles is being used to facilitate transfer, including research parks, partnerships, licensing, SBIRs, CRADAs, and venture-capital investment.

In general, transfer facilitation is moving from a major focus on economic benefits to considering other benefits as well. As experience continues to accrue, it is suggested that commonality will evolve in transfer facilitation.