Barriers and Solutions to Commercialization of Research Findings in Schools of Agriculture in Iran: A Qualitative Approach

The transformation process from idea to product and finally to wealth creation is one of the major problems in the agriculture sector in Iran. This study used a qualitative-exploratory approach to investigate the barriers and the solutions, which were derived from the interview results of our study, to commercialization of research findings in Iranian schools of agriculture. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the highest ranking barriers to commercialization were inappropriate perspectives and policy-making, financial-investment barriers, mistrust, and poor communication; the barriers related to the participation of the private sector were among the lowest ranking items. The top ranking solutions for commercialization were related to planning, legislation, policy-making, needs assessment, goal setting, and prioritization. The technical-specialized solutions were the lowest ranking items.

The transformation process from idea to product and finally to wealth creation is one of the major problems in the agriculture sector in Iran. This study used a qualitative-exploratory approach to investigate the barriers and the solutions, which were derived from the interview results of our study, to commercialization of research findings in Iranian schools of agriculture. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the highest ranking barriers to commercialization were inappropriate perspectives and policy-making, financial-investment barriers, mistrust, and poor communication; the barriers related to the participation of the private sector were among the lowest ranking items. The top ranking solutions for commercialization were related to planning, legislation, policy-making, needs assessment, goal setting, and prioritization. The technical-specialized solutions were the lowest ranking items.