Look beyond commercialisation to a wider landscape of impact

Traditionally, in universities, the word commercialisation can provoke a concerned reaction from academics worried about their institution exploiting “their” intellectual property. Or perhaps they do not understand, or have no interest in, the idea that their research has IP with value beyond academia. 

For many it conjures images of patents, venture capital and technology transfer offices urging researchers to spin out companies based on laboratory discoveries. There has been some shifting of that view in more recent times, supported by government initiatives such as the ARC accelerator for social sciences and humanities, and the UKRI’s Proof of Concept funding, which encouraged applications from all disciplines. But for scholars in disciplines outside traditional innovation-focused research, such as engineering, computing and biomedical fields, the concept can feel distant or even irrelevant.

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Yet this narrow framing overlooks a much broader and arguably more important reality. Much academic research is already being “commercialised” in the sense that it is translated into real-world use by organisations beyond the university. The mistake is assuming that this translation must always occur through markets or private enterprise.

In practice, research travels through a much wider ecosystem: charities, NGOs, professional bodies, community organisations, public services, regulators and civil society networks. When academics recognise this broader landscape, commercialisation becomes less about selling ideas and more about actionable knowledge.

Understanding this broader conception of commercialisation can open new possibilities for academics who want their research to have practical impact.

Commercialisation beyond the market

The conventional technology transfer model works well in some contexts. A new pharmaceutical compound, algorithm or materials innovation may indeed lead to patents, licensing agreements or spin-out companies. Some universities have built substantial infrastructure around these pathways.

However, most research does not operate in this way.

Social science, humanities, education, law, tech ethics and public policy research typically generates value through changes in practice, policy or public understanding, rather than through proprietary technologies. In these contexts, the organisations most capable of translating research are often not companies at all, but civil society actors.

NGOs, charities, advocacy groups and professional associations routinely act as intermediaries between research and society. They translate evidence into guidance, training, campaigning or policy advocacy. In doing so, they effectively perform a form of knowledge commercialisation: they package research into usable products for specific audiences.

For academics, recognising this role is important. It means that the pathway from research to real-world application may lie not through a venture capital elevator pitch but through relationships with organisations embedded in social and policy networks.

Recognising knowledge exchange as a form of commercialisation

When academics think about commercialisation too narrowly, they may overlook the value they already create.

Consider a few common examples:

• A researcher works with a charity to develop an educational programme based on empirical research.
• Academic findings inform professional training delivered by a sector body.
• A research team co-produces a practical toolkit used by practitioners or community organisations.
• Evidence from a study shapes the policy recommendations of an advocacy group.

None of these activities involves patents, licensing agreements or spin-outs. Yet they all involve the translation of academic knowledge into socially valuable products or services.

In effect, the research has been commercialised within a social value economy, where the currency is not just profit but improved practice, informed policy or strengthened communities.

Recognising this helps academics see commercialisation not as a narrow entrepreneurial activity but as part of a wider process of knowledge mobilisation.

Practical steps for academics

For researchers interested in exploring broader forms of commercialisation, several practical strategies can help.

1. Map your research ecosystem

Rather than asking “Which companies might use this research?”, a more useful question may be:

Who already works on this problem in the real world?

This could include charities, NGOs, professional associations, public sector bodies, advocacy networks or grassroots organisations. These actors often have both the need and the capacity to translate research into practice.

2. Think in terms of usable artefacts

Research outputs do not always need to take the form of journal articles. Many organisations benefit from more practical artefacts, such as:

• frameworks
• toolkits
• training resources
• policy briefings
• evaluation models
• data sets or guidance documents

These outputs can become powerful vehicles for knowledge exchange.

3. Co-create rather than disseminate

Traditional academic impact models often assume that researchers produce knowledge, which is then disseminated to others.

In practice, the most effective forms of impact often emerge from co-creation, where researchers work with practitioners or civil society actors from the beginning of a project. This allows research questions, methods and outputs to be shaped by real-world needs, and it might mobilise further commercial development within the networks of practice, such as a charity developing new services from this research.

We need to recognise that research impact might have a broader impact on the national economy through these networks, rather than simply viewing commercialisation as sales. 

4. Recognise the importance of relationships

Knowledge translation rarely occurs through single outputs or projects. Instead, it develops through long-term relationships between academics and organisations.

Building trust with partners in civil society, policy networks or professional sectors can be more important than producing one-off impact outputs.

5. Redefine success

Finally, academics might need to rethink what counts as successful commercialisation.

A spin-out company may generate financial return for a university but a research-informed programme implemented by a national charity could influence the lives of thousands of people. Both are valuable forms of knowledge translation.

Universities increasingly recognise this diversity through frameworks such as knowledge exchange and research impact assessments. But individual researchers also benefit from recognising the many ways their work can travel beyond the university, and this can feel far more personal and part of their identity than handing off their research to the institution. 

From commercialisation to knowledge mobilisation

Perhaps the most helpful way to think about this issue is to move beyond the language of commercialisation altogether.

What universities ultimately seek is not simply the monetisation of research but its mobilisation – the  process by which knowledge moves through networks of organisations and communities, shaping decisions, practices and policies.

In this ecosystem, businesses are only one type of actor. Civil society organisations, NGOs, professional bodies and public services play equally important roles in translating research into real-world value.

For academics, recognising this broader landscape can transform how they think about impact. Commercialisation does not have to be a specialised activity confined to patents and spin-outs. Instead, it can become part of a wider mission: ensuring that the knowledge produced within universities contributes meaningfully to society.

Andy Phippen is professor of IT ethics and digital rights at Bournemouth University. Louise Rutt is senior research environment, culture and impact manager at the University of Plymouth. 

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