Assessment of the utility of technology transfer guidelines as determined by the evaluation of the RESCUER program in rural Uganda

The role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in disseminating knowledge, particularly knowledge of new technologies, in order to facilitate development can be paramount. However, if technologies are not transferred properly, development potential can be severely limited. To address this issue, a number of lists of technology transfer guidelines have arisen to prescribe proper technology transfer practices. The purpose of this study is to address the question of whether technology transfer guidelines have predictive abilities by examining the Rural Extended Services and Care for Ultimate Emergency Relief (RESCUER) program, a case of development aided by an ICT transfer for congruence with existing technology transfer guidelines. In this study, program descriptions and updates were compared with pre-existing technology transfer guidelines to determine their utility in real-world technology transfer situations. This analysis determined that most, but not all guidelines seemed critical indicators of success, however, more case studies would have to be examined before a definitive conclusion can be reached. Although the guidelines cannot be the single predictive factor of success in a development program based on technology transfer, adherence to the guidelines could act as a general framework from which to begin assessing technology transfer programs in their initial stages.