Donor‐funded information technology transfer projects: evaluating the life‐cycle approach in four Chinese science and technology projects

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Baark, Erik | Heeks, Richard^;

Affiliations: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong | IDPM, University of Manchester, Precinct Centre, Manchester, M13 9GH, UK

Note: [] Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 161 275 2870; Fax: +44 161 273 8829; E‐mail: richard.heeks@ man.ac.uk.

Abstract: Information technology (IT) forms an increasingly important component of donor‐funded development projects, yet there has been very little structured analysis of the IT transfer process. This paper presents and evaluates a structured framework for analysis of IT transfer – the information technology transfer life‐cycle – based on a study of four Chinese technology projects. The life‐cycle framework helps to structure both data‐gathering and analysis, and it is used to highlight a number of shortcomings within the Chinese projects. However, several broader project and environmental issues are also identified that impinge on the technology transfer process. The life‐cycle framework must therefore be viewed within a broader contextual model, which is presented in the paper.

Journal: Information Technology for Development, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 185-197, 1999