Commercialization of technologies arising from academic research:
Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a set of criteria used to measure the level of maturity of a technology that makes it possible to compare compatibility between different types of technology within a specific product, in an operational and functional environment.
The output of academic research activities is usually from the perspective of technology preparation at intermediate levels and ends with the construction of a laboratory-scale sample. But the process of commercialization of technology must take place in a real and industrial environment, and this requires that the product or technology be at the highest levels of technology readiness. Therefore, there is a gap between the output of research achievements and the desired input of market and industry opinion.
Sharif University of Technology Development and Technology Transfer Program, at the beginning of 2014, with the aim of eliminating the capital vacuum, knowledge and commercial experience required in the first stages of technology development and bringing that technology to a stage of growth that succeeded in attracting capital from Funds and venture capital companies were established within or outside the university with a fair share in the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology.
The mission of the Technology Development and Transfer Program is to improve the technology transfer of Sharif University of Technology for community use and profitability while generating revenue to support research and education.
In the Technology Development and Transfer Program, we work with professors and research teams to commercialize their research and market development. This collaboration is done in the following ways:
- First, the program examines the economic and potential aspects of the program.
- If there are innovative technical aspects of the project, it will be supported by the University’s Intellectual Property Office for domestic and international patents.
- If the technical and economic aspects of the project are approved by the program’s experts and the university’s technology committee, funding will be provided by the university to advance the commercialization goals outlined by the project’s experts and team. This budget is spent on strengthening specialized manpower, laboratory facilities and product development on a semi-industrial and industrial scale.
- We work with the Product Development Team, as a business developer, to connect with the industry to attract strategic partnership and collaboration to penetrate the target market.
- Negotiating with private investors to raise capital in the next steps, participation in mass production, establishment of a reproductive company and other successful exit strategies are other major activities of this program.