Introduction: The Continued Life of Academic Research Post-Submission.

For years, the system has been straightforward. You do your research, finish your thesis, successfully defend it, submit it for institutional acceptance and then it largely sits there in a university repository, hidden from view and often under-utilized.

However, the way academia functions, and has done for years, is not necessarily the way it functions in the current knowledge economy.

The thesis itself is not just something that is done to acquire a degree. It is an intellectual asset of significant value that signifies specialization, analytical thinking, originality and critical insight. This valuable and novel work is a piece of intellectual property, which often, in the eyes of an academic institution, begins and ends once it has been accepted.

Often it is a document that, having fulfilled its academic purpose, ceases to exist or have an impact beyond a university archive. Yet many theses contain ideas with far-reaching potential for industry, innovation, policy and solving problems.

This inability for research to break free from academic institutions and benefit the outside world further reflects a growing shift in our contemporary working and digital landscape. Business organisations need research backed insights to take better decisions, enhance processes and operate in a fast-evolving market, while the digital revolution has completely changed the dissemination and utilization of expertise.

The truth is that academic research is not just limited to universities and the published literature.

Research in the form of a thesis can be transformed into a number of valuable business, professional or commercial entities-books, industry reports, consultancy frameworks, policy suggestions, online courses, workshops and influential commentary on the subject matter, to name just a few. The research thesis is now evolving into an intellectual asset.

This practice of adapting the research into a marketable form beyond a university system is widely known as the 'commercialisation' of the thesis.

Commercialisation of the thesis refers to the process through which academic research is modified and applied into viable commercial, business and professional form that is aimed to benefit wider community of people outside academia. It does not mean compromising on academic integrity of the research, but extending its access and utilization through professional products.

A number of factors contribute to this evolution. The burgeoning creator economy demands expertise. Traditional publishing barriers are falling because of the availability of publishing and distribution mechanisms. In this context, academic researchers have started to gain recognition not just for their knowledge, but also for their communication skills.

Researchers can no longer be judged simply by their ability to create knowledge, but also for their ability to disseminate it widely and with impact.

The approach that we need to take is fundamentally different. A thesis should be regarded not as the ending of an academic project, but as intellectual capital with long-term commercial, strategic and professional utility, valued for its real world impact and not solely on the basis of academic endorsement.

The older academic system was focused on the product.

The new knowledge economy requires it to be relevant.

For beyond the university, the real value of research is created post-submission.

Read More: https://www.globalxpublications.com/blog/thesis-commercialization-publish-monetize