Commercialising research
Do I have something that can be commercialised?
During your research you may identify opportunities with commercial application. This may be a product, but could also be a tool, method, design or material that you have developed. If you think you have something that could be commercialised, then please contact our Research Commercialisation team. We will have an initial discussion with you to find out more about your idea and the commercial opportunity, and together with you we will decide whether to pursue commercialisation. We will then work with you to evaluate the opportunity and to develop and implement a commercialisation plan. To find out more about how we manage this process take a look at our stage gate process.
What is the best way to commercialise my research results?
The Technology Transfer team will work with you to identify the best route to commercialisation which will depend on many factors including the development stage of the technology, the market and whether there is a need to raise funding.
There are three main ways in which your research could be commercialised:
- License the intellectual property to an existing company that has the capability to take it to market,
- Start up a new company to develop and exploit the intellectual property, or
- Collaborate with an existing company that can take the idea to market.
Early stage ideas may benefit from industry collaboration, but some of the factors that will be considered when comparing licensing to starting a new company are outlined here.
Will commercialisation delay publication?
In most cases, pursuing commercialisation need not delay publication. Generally this just means ensuring a patent application is filed covering your idea before you disclose your results in a paper or at a conference. This process need not take very long, but we appreciate sufficient notice to enable us to protect your idea.
Remember:
If you think your research may have commercial value, please talk to us before you publish or, in any other way, publicly disclose your results.