Strategic Planning for Commercialization of Research Findings in Iran: The Case Study of IranDoc

Commercialization of research is a process that transforms the knowledge produced in universities and research institutes into marketable products or services. Given its importance in higher education, commercialization of research has recently attracted the attention of policymakers in Iran. This study was thus intended to design effective strategies for commercialization of research in Iranian research institutes by identifying the drivers and barriers to its implementation. Moreover, it was attempted to formulate the commercialization strategies for the Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (IranDoc) based on the identified drivers and barriers.

Based on the data of interviews with 30 IranDoc experts, the drivers and barriers to commercialization in Iranian research institutes were identified and then categorized into internal factors (i.e., strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (i.e., opportunities and threats) using the definitions of strength (S), weakness (W), opportunity (O) and threat (T). In order to complete the list of factors, the researchers asked the IranDoc experts to comment on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of commercialization in IranDoc using a questionnaire. Afterwards, SWOT matrix was used to formulate appropriate strategies for IranDoc.

Based on the findings, four strategy groups including defensive strategies (WT), competitive strategies (ST), conservative strategies (WO), and aggressive strategies (SO) were identified for the implementation of commercialization in IranDoc. Besides, the analysis of the internal-external factor evaluation (IE) matrix revealed that WT group strategies and ST group strategies were the first and second priorities for the commercialization of research findings in IranDoc, respectively. It is thus recommended that IranDoc apply defensive strategies (WT) in order to decrease the weaknesses and avoid the threats (WT) of commercialization of research findings. These strategies include conducting joint research and development projects, empowering researchers, managing knowledge flow, increasing the motivation of researchers to commercialize their research findings, and also attracting support from the industry sector and other organizations.

In order to formulate an effective strategy for commercialization of research findings, it is imperative that the experts and policymakers gain an accurate understanding of the important factors (i.e., drivers and barriers) for research commercialization in research institutes. It is thus suggested that the commercialization strategies of IranDoc be developed based on the list of identified drivers and barriers to research commercialization in Iran. It is hoped that the formulated research commercialization strategies for IranDoc contribute to the commercialization of research products in other similar research centers in Iran.