Commercialisation of university technology: a case in robotics

While the politicians and policy makers debate the economic implications of university science and technology, this paper attempts to look at the issue of commercialisation of university technology from the viewpoint of the institutions themselves. The author attempts to construct a theoretical model with the aim of providing universities and researchers with a tool to aid decision making as to which 'technologies' to commercialise and which route to commercialisation would be most suitable in each case. Having established the value of the framework, the case of one current innovation, stemming from a research project in the field of robotics, is considered. In the light of evidence put forward by applying the framework, alternative routes to commercialisation are discussed along with possible outcomes.