As road practitioners have faced and overcome obstacles and challenges to road building and road operations, there has been a recognition that in the next country or half way around the world solutions have been developed that may have application beyond the original location. As the travel demands of modern society have increased exponentially, there also has been a recognition that haphazard and informal sharing of experiences may no longer be the best approach to improve roads and road transportation. As budgets continue to be inadequate for the task, it becomes incumbent upon road officials and engineers to gain from the developments of colleagues around the world, rather than re-inventing the wheel" or making the same mistakes over and over again.

Technology transfer is the process of openly gaining and freely sharing experiences, solutions, technologies, and innovations. Regardless of the form, ultimately technology transfer is aimed at using the benefits of successful research, development or experience to benefit roads locally. The membership of PIARC has recognized the value of technology transfer centers, and the Association has introduced a programme to encourage the development of new centers.