“From lab bench to store shelves:” A translational research & development framework for linking university science and engineering research to commercial outcomes

Abstract

Abstract Research conducted at the university can have considerable commercial potential. However, turning those discoveries, innovations, and inventions into commercially viable products can prove extremely difficult. Based on a systematic review and narrative synthesis of the literature on translational research: the different models, its practice, and the efforts to streamline it, the author proposes a novel translational research & development framework to better link university science and engineering research to commercial outcomes, i.e., to create a more seamless transition from research to business. The author identified the best practices in translational research (as encountered mostly in biomedical research), adapted them for use in more general science and engineering research contexts, and combined them with well-established best practices in project management, new product development, business development, science of team science, and intellectual property management. The result is a robust, structured framework that can help university investigators bring their ideas to market. The proposed framework is also relevant to university investigators who might not intend to turn their early-stage innovations into businesses, but rather advance the development of the innovations to the point where they become attractive for others (e.g., entrepreneurs, industry), to embrace the challenge of developing the innovations further for the market.