June 5, 2025
So, you're thinking about Technology Transfers (i.e., TT, Tech Transfer)? Who can blame you? There has been a significant amount of news recently regarding tariffs and the potential for bringing manufacturing back to the United States. If your manufacturing is outside the United States, then this news will certainly keep Tech Transfer on your mind. Of course, technology transfers occur for other reasons. We will dive into that as well.
But how do you know if you need tech transfer, and how do you know if you are ready to lead a tech transfer yourself?
Before we get to that, let's discuss the topic in general and outline some definitions. No matter what you call the process, whether you call it technology transfer, technical transfer, tech transfer, transfer of technology, or even TT, it means the same thing. It is the transfer of knowledge and science for one or more drug products, one or more drug substances/API, one or more in-process/bulk products, or one or more analytical processes (known as Analytical Method Transfer). Tech transfer can occur between two sites or locations or within the same site or facility.
And let it be known that tech transfer does not only occur for commercial products or during commercialization. At some level, Tech Transfer can happen at any phase during development through commercialization. We are all aware of tech transfers occurring from one CDMO to another (or even to a sponsor's own manufacturing facility) for a commercial product. However, there can be a Tech Transfer or a knowledge transfer during development or scale-up as well. This can occur, for example, from the Product Development location to the Pilot Plant or Manufacturing Sciences plant.
So, back to the questions at hand – how do you know if you need a tech transfer, and how do you know if you are ready to lead a tech transfer yourself?
The need for tech transfer can occur as a reactive strategy or a proactive strategy. Whether your organization is looking ahead and planning for the future (proactive) or has been informed of issues at the current facility that are impacting your supply (reactive), the need is easy to identify.
By asking just a few seemingly simple questions, our industry experts can tell you if you are ready to lead your own tech transfer. However simple these questions may seem, the answers provided pack a punch for your ability to initiate Technology Transfers yourself.
If you have answered "yes" to 3 or fewer of the questions above, your tech transfer project may be in trouble. Reach out to a tech transfer expert like ProPharma for help. If you have answered "yes" to at least 7 of the above questions, great job. Contact ProPharma if you need help with the remaining steps. On second thought, can you afford not to answer "yes" to all of these questions? Can your timeline, your budget, or even your patients afford that?
Time lost has a critical impact on your organization, your product, and your patients. In the next installment of our blog series on Tech Transfer, we will discuss ProPharma's approach to Tech Transfer Readiness. And here is a spoiler – our process is streamlined, gated, and reduces risk and time.
The figure above outlines the wastes: time and budget. By truly not understanding and planning the Tech Transfer project appropriately, time and budget are wasted. By not using a proven process, time and budget are wasted. As many Project Managers have witnessed and encountered time and time again, "We don't have time to plan – we need to start the project now." The performance of any project, including Tech Transfer projects, benefits from a well-planned execution. If the appropriate planning does not occur up front,
Please look for our next installment of this blog series Tech Transfer Readiness: Big Responsibility, Greater Reward to understand if you are ready to begin. In the meantime, please feel free to contact ProPharma to get a head start on the process.
Director, Product Lifecycle Management
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