The Evolution of the Role of Universities in the Commercialization of Academic Research Outputs

Facilitating the use of academic research outputs, namely new scientific discoveries and technologies made or created by university researchers, to benefit society has become a core function of universities around the world. Today, scholars and practitioners refer to this activity as “technology transfer” or “technology commercialization”. The role of universities in the commercialization of academic research outputs resides at the nexus of discourse about the widening gap between academic knowledge production and its societal impact. Although there are vast literatures about the university as a social institution and university activities that facilitate commercialization of academic research outputs, there is sparse discourse that directly examines the evolution of universities’ roles in the commercialization of academic research outputs in the context of the expansion of the mission of institutions of higher education. This paper aims to fill this gap. While the paper examines the topic primarily from a Western perspective, specifically from the viewpoint of the United States of America (USA), it provides points of comparison by briefly summarizing the history, evolution, and current status of university technology transfer in select countries around the world. It concludes by considering what the future may hold for the role of U.S. universities in the commercialization of academic research outputs.