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Abstract: Universities have been encouraged to commercialize the results of their research in many different ways. In Europe, e.g. national funding programs for developing commercial conditions for research results, technology transfer units were created at universities and cooperation with companies was supported. At the same time, research on academic entrepreneurship and the commercialization of research has increased. Despite this, commercialization is challenging for many universities. This study examines how commercialization actors understand commercialisation and how different perspectives challenge cooperation. We interviewed 15 people representing financiers, academic researchers of different career phases and industry representatives who cooperated with universities. Their views on commercialisation varied from a relatively straightforward linear approach to continuous cooperation creating value without any clearly stated commercialisation object. Based on the analysis, we bring forth the need for facilitators that help to overcome different perspectives and understanding between actors.
Keywords: Research commercialization; value creation; definition; process; commercialization path; university-industry cooperation.
1 Introduction
Since the enactment of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980 in the United States, there has been a substantial expansion in commercialization activities by the universities. This has been reflected in both an increase in the number of patents (Mowery et al., 2001) and an increase in the body of literature addressing science commercialization. In general, the commercialization of research means that research-oriented ideas, inventions and innovations benefit the rest of society outside the academic world. Defined in this way, commercialization can be seen as one form of societal impact of the universities (Bornmann, 2013).
Universities and governments encourage researchers to commercialize with laws, funding mechanisms and the internal goals of closer cooperation with industry (Harman & Harman, 2004). This has forced faculties, research groups and individual researchers to search for commercialization opportunities in addition to their research work. Universities often lack sufficient training to increase researchers' commercialization skills (Aziz et al., 2013). In order to improve competence, efforts have been made to intensify cooperation with companies and involve company representatives in commercialization as early as possible (Pujotomo et al., 2023). The universities and faculties have also established multi-skilled teams and other structures to develop general commercialization policies, practices, and mechanisms (Palo-oja & Kivijärvi, 2015).
When people with various backgrounds and knowledge are brought together, there are often difficulties in communication...