Research

Knowledge Transfer: connecting ideas and knowledge with potential users of that knowledge… the art of sharing ideas.

Knowledge Transfer is what universities are all about. The great ideas, discoveries and advances that our researchers make every day can only benefit society if they reach the right audiences.

U of T is a leader in helping its researchers with knowledge transfer. Whether it’s open source software that makes the Internet accessible for people living in repressive regimes or a new program to help combat family violence, knowledge transfer is about making connections.

Sometimes people are confused about the difference between knowledge transfer and commercialization. In a sense it’s all knowledge transfer—literally, transferring knowledge out into the wider world. But the term knowledge transfer is commonly used to signify that the act of transferring knowledge isn’t (necessarily) going to lead to financial gain, whereas commercialization implies that there will be a product or process that will allow the researcher to reap financial gains.

At U of T, we don’t discriminate between the two—we’re committed to helping researchers get their innovations out there, in whatever form works best.

Contact the ICT, Social Sciences & Humanities team to learn more about Knowledge Transfer.