Examining issues and challenges in the commercialization of university generated intellectual property rights in Malaysia / Noor Hidayah Shahidan, Ahmad Shaharudin Abdul Latiff and Sazali Abdul Wahab

The commercialization of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) stemming from public universities has consistently been a prominent agenda within Malaysia's economic plans. However, despite continuous efforts by stakeholders within the Malaysian innovation system, the commercialization success rate remains disappointingly low, falling below 10%. Hence, this paper aims to thoroughly analyse the issues and challenges surrounding the commercialization of IPR generated by public universities in Malaysia. To identify issues and challenges in IPR commercialization in Malaysia, the authors conducted a comprehensive and systematic literature review, reading and reviewing over 287 documents. In addition, the findings from semi-structured interviews conducted as part of a pilot study were triangulated to support and validate the themes derived from our qualitative content analysis. This paper examines issues and challenges in the commercialization of university-generated IPR in Malaysia from the perspectives of three Triple Helix stakeholders: the government, universities, and industries. Empirical studies from multiple viewpoints are required to verify the proposed conceptualization. The present study highlighted that a targeted focus on awareness, resources, and policies by the Triple Helix stakeholders could significantly improve the IPR commercialization rate. The IPR commercialization is a key focus within Malaysia's economic development plan, propelling the nation towards its goal of becoming a high-income, knowledge-based economy.