Factors affecting the commercialization of scientific research results in knowledge-based companies in Iran

Background and Aim: this research was performed to investigate factors affecting the commercialization of research results in knowledge-based companies using a descriptive survey. Method: this was a descriptive survey and since it defines the relations between variables, it is correlational. To collect the required research data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. This questionnaire includes 39 questions in 8 dimensions (individual, organizational, environmental-organizational, cultural-social, legal, economic, political and industrial factors) and 5 questions related to commercialization. The statistical population of this research includes 970 of the CEOs of knowledge-based companies based in the Science and Technology parks of six major cities of Iran and the sample size was determined to be 275 based on Cochran's formula. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS-20 and Amos-20 software. Results: the results from this research showed that all the 8 factors significantly predict success in the commercialization of research results; but the results from the simultaneous investigation of the role of predictive variables in the commercialization of research results showed that the following items have the most significant roles in the commercialization of research results: legal (β=056, p<0.05), industrial (β=0.28, p<0.05), organizational (β=0.23, p<0.05), individual (β=0.13, p<0.05), and economic (β=0.12, p<0.05).  Conclusion: based on the results, in order to invest in the development of the infrastructures of the commercialization of research results, the greatest amount of focus must be placed on legal, industrial, organizational and ultimately economic factors respectively because the development and revision of these factors will indirectly affect the other factors.