Commercialisation of knowledge in universities: The case of the creative industries

During the last two decades, the convergence of a number of social and economic factors has increased the interest of universities, industry and government in the commercialisation of universities' research output. Not without scepticism from some institutions and individuals, governments and universities around the world are taking steps towards identifying marketable research products, strengthening links with industry, and creating institutional frameworks needed to sustain and increase research output and speed the technology transfer process. These actions vary in degree and scope: from standardising and enforcing conventional intellectual property protection mechanisms, to creating support mechanisms for spin-off companies and setting up venture capital funds to support their growth. To date, universities' commercial experience has been mostly in the area of science and technology and thinking about commercialisation is framed in these terms. However, as digital innovations move through the services, media and entertainment sector, innovations and commercialisation opportunities of quite a different nature present themselves. Thus, there are considerable challenges for creative disciplines within tertiary institutions seeking to respond to the commercialisation imperative. This paper examines claims from the emerging creative industries and analyses universities' potential support of the commercialisation of creative innovation.