Technology Transfer for Low-Carbon Development

Technology transfer for low-carbon development underpins global efforts to shift energy, industrial and urban systems towards minimal greenhouse-gas emissions. It encompasses the mobilisation and adaptation of technological hardware, technical know-how, institutional frameworks and financing mechanisms from innovating to recipient contexts. This process involves multilateral, bilateral and private exchanges across renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon capture and sustainable transport. Success depends on recipient countries’ absorptive capacity—namely their human capital, regulatory readiness and financial infrastructure—and on the strength of innovation systems that link firms, research centres, policymakers and civil society. Common barriers include fragmented supply chains, limited access to finance, regulatory uncertainty and constraints imposed by intellectual property frameworks. Policy interventions—such as tailored incentives, standards, capacity-building programmes and public–private partnerships—can address these obstacles, enabling localisation of manufacturing, customisation of solutions and sustainable scaling. Moreover, shifting paradigms of South–South and reverse North–South cooperation are diversifying traditional models by promoting peer learning among emerging economies and leveraging indigenous innovation. Real-world applications span decentralised solar microgrids in rural communities to large-scale green hydrogen hubs that integrate developing regions into global supply chains. By aligning economic development with environmental stewardship and social inclusion, technology transfer for low-carbon development remains a cornerstone of the sustainable energy transition and climate resilience worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

Recent thematic analysis has consolidated key barriers to climate-resilient technology transfer, identifying organisational knowledge gaps and regulatory hurdles as primary challenges, with investment, market formation and infrastructure also playing pivotal roles. Another study proposes a multi-scale framework for green hydrogen deployment, demonstrating that international partnerships can drive decarbonisation yet risk reinforcing local dependency unless complemented by strategic policy, capability building and robust governance structures. These insights highlight the necessity of integrated approaches—spanning finance, regulation, capacity development and stakeholder coordination—to ensure that technology transfer effectively advances low-carbon development goals.

Technology Transfer for Low-Carbon Development publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in technology transfer for low-carbon development across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Absorptive capacity: The ability of organisations or countries to recognise, assimilate and apply external knowledge and technologies.
Innovation system: A network of institutions, policies and actors that collectively generate, diffuse and utilise innovations.
South–South cooperation: Collaborative technology exchange among developing countries, often involving shared expertise and joint ventures.
Intellectual property rights: Legal protections governing the ownership and use of innovations, which can facilitate or impede technology diffusion.
Green hydrogen: Hydrogen produced via electrolysis powered by renewable energy, serving as a low-carbon energy carrier.

References

1. Breaking barriers: Assessing technology transfer for climate-resilient development. Environmental Technology & Innovation (2024).
2. Identifying opportunities and risks from green hydrogen: a framework and insights from a developing region in Brazil. Climate Policy (2024).
3. Technology transfer and cooperation for low carbon energy technology: Analysing 30 years of scholarship and proposing a research agenda. Energy Policy (2018).