Commercialization of research from the social sciences, humanities and arts (SSHA) at universities

A scoping study: Existing insight and current practices

Abstract

Commercialization of knowledge developed in universities is usually associated with the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). There is, however, a growing interest in fostering utilization and commercialization of research associated with the fields of social sciences, humanities and arts (SSHA) among universities, academics, knowledge exchange practitioners and funders (Ulrichsen and Athanassopoulou 2024). The SHAPE taskforce on commercialization of SSHA research was initiated in early 2022 by the business unit managers from Open Entrepreneurship and Spin-outs DK – two initiatives aimed at bolstering the commercialization of research from the eight Danish universities. During 2022 the taskforce extended from five university representatives to eight. In early 2023 the taskforce applied for funds from the InnoTech Group (Universities Denmark’s working group on innovation and technology transfer) to establish a project to assess the potential of strengthening the utilization of SSHA research from Danish universities. The project is driven by the SHAPE taskforce with support from the Open Entrepreneurship Central Unit at DTU. As part of this project, the Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy (CFA) at Aarhus University was commissioned to undertake a preliminary study of existing knowledge on the commercialization of SSHA research, also referred to as Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy (SHAPE) research. The overall project, including this report from CFA, was funded by the InnoTech Group, Universities Denmark’s working group on innovation and technology transfer.