Technology investment management helps the industry solve the problems of attracting new technologies, and sometimes identify what problems they have. Typically, firms' strong ties to customers and suppliers in one industry make it difficult for a company to easily expand into other markets and experiment with new ideas. Companies need to effectively shift their focus from traditional R&D teams to trying to invent and implement a completely new product, combining a wide range of possible innovations.

The solution to this problem is offered by a technology broker, its goal is to become the same technological bridge, as well as provide the necessary financial and consulting support in the development and implementation of an innovative product, taking into account the needs of a customer. Nowadays, due to the complexity of high-tech solutions, innovation is always a team effort, bringing together the experience of many partners. One of the operating principles of a technology broker is to reach across industries and see how existing technologies can be used to create disruptive innovations in other markets.

Technology is becoming extraordinarily complex and changing rapidly. New concepts very quickly get out of the laboratory and are brought to the market. It is often difficult to find suitable partners, since hundreds of technology providers offer duplicate products, complex configurations and pricing options, a typical request for proposals can lead to dozens of offers. An experienced technology broker can be an ideal solution if you are making decisions when faced with too many needs, too many options, and too little time for research.

No such industrial explosion-proof equipment exists; it is simply the design of a wide variety of devices, machines and equipment operating in potentially explosive environments. When functioning, various processes occur in them. These are not only electrical processes, but also mechanical, optical, chemical and sometimes nuclear. These processes can lead to an explosion in an explosive environment. Of course, the various explosion protection technologies may vary for each type of explosion-proof device, machine and equipment.

Outsourcing is a time-tested method of acquiring new technologies and filling resource gaps. A technology broker is a consultant who specializes in helping organizations optimize technology acquisition projects. The HydITEx team has deep technology knowledge, business experience and deep cross-industry knowledge in the fields of industrial explosion-proof equipment and hydrogen safety. HydITEx is involved in the industry on a daily basis and is always up to date with current technologies and standards. HydITEx also focuses on collaboration between industry, universities and science and technology research, creating high-tech innovation.

HydITEx provides high-tech business and organizational development services for high-tech SMEs and start-ups: development and management of international distribution, market and marketing research, strategic consulting, business and sales channel building, organization of international innovation projects and partnerships. HydITEx ensures competent information management and builds successful communication with the developer and client. HydITEx organizes work to protect intellectual property and pays royalties to the developer. HydITEx cooperates with the largest testing centers and laboratories, which allows us to test products for compliance with technical regulations and international standards. Helps customers ensure they are looking for industrial explosion-proof and hydrogen safety technologies that provide the best balance between "suitability, functionality and cost". HydITEx is always available to speak with potential clients at any time, share their views on current industry trends and technology offerings, and listen to your thoughts on your goals, challenges and needs.

Why should you strive to acquire technology ?

An organization's motivation to acquire technology depends on what type of technology it is looking for, who makes the decision to acquire it, and the process that follows that acquisition.

 There is a wide range of motives. Basically, they can be divided into the first categories:

 • Development of new technological capabilities

 • Expanding strategic opportunities

 • Increased productivity

 • Responding to the competitive environment.

The development of new technological capabilities is one of the fundamental motivations for acquiring external technologies, driven by the necessity to develop new technological capabilities to fill gaps in the R&D knowledge base. The goal of these acquisitions sometimes lies in closing gaps in the existing product line, while in other cases, it is about creating and implementing a completely new product. This need may arise because specialized technical expertise and capabilities are often hard to obtain, and companies may lack the ability to develop these valuable resource assets internally. This can occur, for example, when a company's technological knowledge approaches depletion, and most possible technological combinations have already been tested.

Increasing strategic options for acquisitions can allow a company to improve its strategic flexibility. Enhancing internal technological capabilities can provide the company with more strategic options, enabling it to choose the best available technology.

Purchases can stimulate innovations by overcoming inertia and rigidity, thereby increasing the productivity of R&D. Relying on the gradual improvement of existing technologies may limit the company's potential. Experiments with new and emerging technologies can provide opportunities for more radical innovations.

Acquisitions can open new markets, allowing the knowledge of new customers, channels, inputs, processes and markets to be exploited.

Acquisitions may help to deal with uncertainty and risk. Companies operating in high-tech industries are often dependent on uncertain future outcomes or developments. In such cases, managers are more likely to avoid risky internal investments in R&D with long term payback periods, investing instead in external technologies as a way of keeping their options open until the risks and uncertainty diminish.

The need to innovate more quickly is another motivation for acquiring technology, as it can reduce time to market. Developing new capabilities internally may take too long or be too expensive. Acquiring technology can create them more quickly so that the firm can be more responsive to market demands. Acquiring technology from outside often has cost advantages. Firms replace fixed investment costs with variable acquisition costs, and these costs can be recouped from profits from new ventures that follow a partnership-based strategy.

Firms are more likely to consider technology acquisitions because the environment becomes more hostile when their market is experiencing rapid technological change and rapidly evolving competition. Technology acquisitions help a firm feel less vulnerable and more competitive. In such an environment, there is likely to be greater use of partnering, collaboration, and outsourcing as a substitute for in-house operations.

Who are you going to buy technology from ?

Technology can be acquired from a variety of sources, including private companies, universities and government agencies. It can come from a single organisation or from several, sometimes in the form of a consortium. It is important to understand the characteristics of your potential partner, as these will determine their expectations and behaviour during the collaboration.

Universities

Universities are increasingly interested in commercializing research, but usually have no experience in commercializing intellectual property. Not all universities have a history of spin-outs or technologies that have already been commercialized, and a good technology transfer department. More profit-oriented universities are really hard to work with: either they have too many difficulties with negotiations or they do not know how to conduct them. The rules regarding the ownership of the results of academic research vary from country to country. Universities are complicated. They want to own intellectual property and act like small businesses and inventors. They don’t know or ignore the costs of scaling technology. Another problem is that high staff turnover can lead to information leaks.

Startups

Startups can be an important source of ideas for larger companies. However, they usually lack resources and business knowledge, and are often influenced by their investors (e.g., venture capitalists). They can be more flexible, but also more “unstable” than established firms. They may have only one technology, and the fear of losing control over it can lead to over-vigilance. Startups often try to get patents cheaply, without thinking about the consequences, and also do not have a good idea of ​​what technology transfer is. Working with a startup is always a huge emotional interest.

Consortia

Consortia are becoming increasingly common. A company teams up with other types of organizations (any combination of universities, industry, and international organizations, national governments), typically to solve complex technology problems that would be difficult to solve on their own. Consortia are more common in industries with long technology life cycles, where access to a broader range of competencies outside traditional science and engineering fields is needed to ensure future innovation. Big companies understand the rules of the game. Evaluating technologies is not a personal opinion. There are differences in how the variously formed consortia work. First, there are pre-competitive research consortia: these are an important mechanism for sharing risk and investment with others. Another type of consortium is sponsored by a supply chain or a professional association: these are like collaborative R&D projects in which many companies pay one firm to do the work. These work well if there is a key leader who drives the collaboration forward, although the absence of one can mean that you are driven by the strategic ambitions of other firms. And then there are politically motivated consortia: these can be bad investments because the government conceives of the project and funds it. These consortia often perform poorly because there is no real motivation for the participants.

How Mature Is Technology ?

The technology you are considering acquiring is usually mature. Its level of “maturity” can range from something that is still a new scientific phenomenon to technology that is almost ready to enter the market. The level of maturity – and the amount of work required to reach the level your company requires – are obviously important factors to consider in the context of any purchase. There are many ways to measure the maturity of a technology. However, it is important to remember that assessing the maturity of a technology is specific to your particular situation and depends on your company’s motives for making the acquisition.

The use of internationally recognized methods and tools for their implementation in the development of high-tech technical products will allow all participants to more effectively participate in the joint development of new technologies, equipment and software. 

Adaptation of the acquired technology to the customer's production capabilities

Of course, the "absorptive capacity" to assimilate technology is important; it is the ability of a company to evaluate, assimilate, and effectively use external information. A firm's absorptive capacity can be increased by the education, training, and/or experience of its employees. The next part of the process is often called "finishing." Adapting the acquired technology to the client's production capabilities includes modifying the technology to meet the specific needs and infrastructure of the client's operations. This process ensures that the technology is effectively integrated into existing workflows and systems, maximizing its potential benefits and minimizing potential problems. By carefully examining the customer's manufacturing capabilities and adapting the acquired technology accordingly, HydITEx can ensure the successful transfer of the acquired technology to achieve the maximum desired results.

HydITEx is a trusted consultant who specialize in helping organizations optimize their projects for the acquisition of innovations and technologies in the field of industrial explosion-proof equipment, hydrogen safety. HydITEx will help customers find the best innovations and technologies to meet their needs.

HydITEx's work is intertwined with the idea of empathic design in order for an innovative product to meet specific customer problems and serial practice of recombinant innovations, using its experience in explosion protection in various industries. HydITEx uses four interrelated methods of work: Fixing promising ideas, Keeping existing ideas alive, coming up with new ways to use old ideas (often these ideas are blindingly simple) and Testing promising concepts.