Abstract
The present work aims at reviewing the concept of knowledge transfer and proposing a new interactive model of it on the basis of findings from a long-term field investigation in a leading biological laboratory. While the idea of "knowledge transfer" implies a false analogy with spatial movement of a tangible object, actual knowledge consists of intricate network of a variety of concepts. This paper models this concept as a space in which different hierarchies of skills interact, and conducts ethnographic analysis of its function in an actual biological laboratory. The laboratory occupies a leading position in the intermediate area between chemistry and biology. In such a circumstance, the "scientific knowledge" being searched is uncertain, and researchers' job is to render it robust. What "knowledge transfer" means is unclear here. Analysis of the actual processes suggests that the interaction produces what could be called the "semiotic margins." This case study indicates the necessity of a more interactive understanding of knowledge transfer.
