Although technology transfer is crucial for enhancing the competitiveness of supply chains, existing research has not yet developed a systematic analytical framework. The purpose of this paper is to understand the current status of technology transfer in supply chains and to develop a conceptual framework that systematically analyzes the mechanisms of technology transfer.
This paper conducts a systematic review of 101 high-quality academic papers published between 2005 and 2025, sourced from the Web of Science and Scopus databases.
Building on the literature review, we construct a conceptual model that integrates four key themes of technology transfer in supply chains: types of technology transfer, antecedents, outcomes and barriers. Based on transaction cost theory and dynamic capabilities theory, this paper proposes a set of propositions that captures the relationship between these factors and technology transfer in supply chains. Subsequently, this study uses Build Your Dreams (BYD), a leading automotive company, and Huawei, a global technology giant, as case examples to validate the driving factors and mechanisms of technology transfer in supply chains, thereby illustrating the proposed conceptual framework.
This is the first paper to comprehensively integrate the four dimensions of types of technology transfer, antecedents, outcomes and barriers in the supply chain domain and construct a complete conceptual framework. This conceptual framework provides a systematic knowledge structure and identifies future research directions, thereby contributing to both the research and practice of technology transfer in supply chains.
