How to spot the link between openness and commercialisation from the Research Support Service at the institutional Library

Research Support Services at the Library dealing with Open Access implementation often process a large fraction of the institutional research output. As part of their work in areas like the monthly checking for compliance with manuscript deposit Open Access policies or the payment of Open Access publishing fees on behalf of researchers, these services get to see early full-text manuscripts for nearly all publications. This presentation argues that by getting to know the work carried out by the various researchers and research groups via its publications, plus having a privileged view on the funded projects awarded to specific PIs, proactive members of this research support team may well be able to both identify and support activities aimed at the commercialisation of the research conducted by these authors.

A few useful strategies for this purpose are mentioned such as – among others – having open communication channels with the institutional corporate comms team to highlight specific publications to them for press releases and interviews with authors. Awareness of the approach to commercialisation taken by other research teams within the institution may also help suggest possible best practice case studies to researchers in the framework of the wider conversation held with them on Open Access funding and appropriate management of research data.