Commercialising Research

Commercialisation involves taking the knowledge, inventions, or innovations developed through academic research and turning them into products, services, or processes that benefit society. It also offers opportunities for financial return, increased impact, and new collaborations.

Why commercialise?

• Maximise impact: apply your research to solve real-world problems
• Generate revenue: earn income through royalties or equity
• Create jobs: develop new companies or strengthen industries
• Attract funding: commercial success can help secure future research grants and investments and ensure sustainability of your work.

If you’d like to explore the commercial potential of your research, contact the Knowledge Exchange (KE) team. They can review the commercial viability of your idea, help to protect the intellectual property (IP), and identify the best route to market.

Routes to commercialisation

There are different ways to unlock the commercial potential of your research, including:

• Licensing - Licensing is a popular route to market for new technologies and software, but may also apply to models, toolkits, and frameworks. It involves granting permissions to a company or organisation to use IP under agreed terms. Licenses enable the University to retain ownership and control of the IP and charge third parties a fee for its use. Licensing allows you to demonstrate impact and develop strong industry partnerships that could lead to future research opportunities. As the originator of the IP, you will also receive royalties from any licensing agreements.
• Spinouts - Establishing a spinout company allows you to generate the investment and funding needed to bring your idea successfully to market. Spinouts can be rewarding as you develop entrepreneurial skills and gain experience working with stakeholders in industry. As well as demonstrating the real-world impact of your work, you will benefit from having an equity stake in company. Spinouts require a significant time commitment, so this is something to consider before pursuing this route.

The importance of protecting intellectual property (IP)

Not all research outputs need to secure IP protection to unlock commercialisation opportunities, however licensing and spinouts are often based on protected intellectual property. IP laws and rights exits to safeguard your work, allowing you to exploit its commercial potential to achieve maximum impact.

Whatever route you take in commercialising your research, it is important you do not share any details of your idea publicly until IP protection has been applied for. This is because registered rights are only granted for inventions that are novel, meaning they must be new and not known to the public. If you publicly disclose your invention, such as through a publication, presentation or discussion, it becomes part of the public domain and is no longer considered novel, so it cannot be protected. Once protection has been filed for, you are free to disclose your invention. Contact your Knowledge Exchange Manager or Technology Transfer Officer for support with identifying and protecting your IP. Find out more about IP here.

Getting started

Think you have an idea worth exploring? We want to hear about it. Simply fill out the Invention Disclosure Form below and return it to ipadmin@essex.ac.uk, or get in touch with your Knowledge Exchange Manager or Technology Transfer Officer. They can help protect your IP, explore partnerships with potential companies or investors interested in your research, and signpost incubators and funding to support you on your commercialisation journey.