6.4 Marketing Assistance

Motivation of the private sector in generating, developing and utilizing technologies are basically market oriented. In order to boost the efforts of entrepreneurs in utilizing technologies developed indigenously and in order to help them alleviate or tide over the difficulties encountered specially in the initial risky phase in commercializing technologies – post investment assessment is very essential, specially for small scale enterprises. Difficulties faced by the entrepreneurs in the initial phase in commercializing technology are of various types such as operational, marketing and financial, etc. They need logistical support to penetrate the markets.

Post-investment assistance for successful commercialization of technologies includes market development/ preferential purchase, technical and managerial assistance. These are besides services in testing and standardization and technology information. In some countries post investment assistance is offered in the form of price preference on indigenously developed products. Import controls in the form of tariff barriers such as imposition of customs and/or other import duties on selected goods imported in the form of non tariff barriers such as import prohibitions import quotas and import permits, are also used as devices for protecting the market for the indigenously developed products.