In the past few years different intermediary structures have been formed in Slovenia in the area of transferring knowledge from the R&D sphere to the economy and industry. Due to the heterogeneity of their tasks it is difficult to establish a uniform criterion of their functioning. This paper aims to clearly define their role and the difficulties they face. In our empirical investigation we included 25 leaders of different intermediary structures. The research results indicate the important role of the state in stimulating their functioning, particularly from the financial point of view. Despite some obstacles regarding co-operation activities between researchers and actors from the economic sector the common estimation regarding intermediary institutions and their contribution to knowledge transfers remains positive.
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