Private-sector-driven international technology transfer with the initiative of a recipient country: The case of technology promotion association (Thailand-Japan)

Although many papers are found on international technology transfer from a parent company to its sister companies or between companies, this paper analyzes the case of private-sector-driven international transfer of general production technology from Japan to Thailand through a non-government organization (NGO) established by former Thai students who studied in Japan. This international technology transfer scheme has been successful along with a massive foreign direct investment in the manufacturing industry from Japan to Thailand and with a small financial supports from the Japanese Government. As a result, this NGO has established a technical university recently. The paper has found that the success factors are that the demand for Japan´s production technologies increased as foreign direct investment from Japan increased in Thailand, that Japanese companies and experts were willing to transfer technologies to Thai companies and Thai-Japanese companies, that the management board members of the NGO was excellent to contribute to the country to solve the problems of the companies they worked for and to enhance the social evaluation of the people who studied in Japan, and that the NGO had to compete with other technology service providers in the private sector.