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Excerpt from Technological "Spin-Off" Strategic Implications From U. S. Experience Briey speaking, spin-off refers to the spill-over of government mission-oriented programs to the civilian sector. Unlike fundamental or basic research, government mission-oriented programs are guided by specific missions defined by so-called mission agencies. These agencies, typified by the defense ministry, have operational responsibilities that mandate rather immediate Operating goals and make the agencies under constant pressure to produce results in a rather tangible way to justify their existence. So, r&d activities endorsed and undertaken by these agencies normally pertain to their missions and, more specifically, their procurement interest. Mission-oriented programs also differ from the so-called diffusion-oriented programs. Mission agencies are the primary end users of the outcomes of their mission-oriented programs. But the organizations responsible for diffusion-oriented programs are not the principal end users of the outcomes of their programs. Instead, their programs are intended to contribute to numerous outside potential users. The r&d results thus have to be diffused to, for instance, farmers through agricultural extension network, or small and medium-sized enterprises through many local technical centers. In the post-world War II era, partly as a result of the military r&d experience during the war and partly because of the arms race for the cold war, many military (and aerospace) technology programs in some industrialized countries were highly sophisticated when compared with their civilian counterparts. These programs might even account for a significant portion of the national r&d resources. The opportunity cost was very high. Therefore, it is often expected that, in addition to accomplishing the designated missions, these programs can also contribute to the civilian sector. This brings into relevance the search for strategy to enhance spin-off. In this