Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Imam Khomeini Higher Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
2 Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
Abstract
The agricultural sector is the centerpiece of Iran's economic development and is capable of turning the nation into an industrial country. But, this requires agriculture to become knowledge-intensive whose prerequisites are the commercialization of technological achievements. The present study was carried out by a survey design to identify the effective constructs underpinning the commercialization system of the agricultural research achievements in Iran. The statistical population was composed of faculty members and instructors of institutes for agricultural research and education (IAREs) in Iran. The sample size was determined as 190 people that were taken by the proportional random sampling technique. The face validity of the research instrument was confirmed by 10 experts of research commercialization, and its reliability was estimated by Cronbach’s alpha. The results showed the involvement of three constructs in the process of the establishment and development of commercialization: i.e. ‘motivational-behavioral’, ‘structural-organizational’, and ‘contextual-environmental’. Different groups of membership in knowledge-intensive firms, membership in scientific associations, and participation in startups were significantly distinctive based on the participants’ opinions about commercialization. The level of knowledge and skills of those involved in the process of commercializing research achievements was found to be lower than average. Also according to the results, the respondents needed to be more familiar with technology transfer topics, teamwork techniques, national and international networking technology,science and technology growth parks and centers, intellectual property issues, and methods of successful commercialization of research achievements.
Graphical Abstract
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Highlights
- The main objective of this research was identifying the effective constructs underpinning the commercialization system of the agricultural research achievements in Iran.
- Given the prioritization of factors affecting the establishment and development of the commercialization system of research findings in research and training centers for agriculture and natural resources, it is necessary to consider the variables of the "motivational-behavioral" factor more than other variables.
- Due to the low level of the participants’ knowledge and awareness, training courses should be developed to empower researchers and instructors about the commercialization of research finding.
Keywords
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