India Must Bridge Gap Between Patent Filing and Commercialisation, Experts Say
India needs to strengthen the link between research, patent protection and commercialisation to turn scientific discoveries into market-ready products, services and businesses, experts said at an OP Manthan session held in New Delhi on October 8, 2026. They emphasised that rising patent filings are an important indicator of innovation, but do not automatically translate into economic value, global competitiveness or commercial success.
The discussion highlighted the need for stronger research and development (R&D), closer collaboration between universities and industry, better support for student and grassroots innovators, and funding that helps deep-science ventures progress beyond the laboratory stage.
Why Patent Filing Alone Is Not Enough
A patent provides legal protection for an invention that meets the applicable requirements. However, obtaining a patent is only one step in the innovation process. An invention must often undergo further development, testing, validation, manufacturing preparation and market assessment before it can become a commercially viable product.
Speaking at the session, Sacha Wunsch-Vincent of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) stressed that intellectual property generated through research should not remain unused within universities. Instead, it needs to be licensed, commercialised and brought to the marketplace.
Shivani Singh of the Advanced Study Institute of Asia similarly highlighted that patent filing or registration does not, by itself, demonstrate commercialisation, international competitiveness or economic impact. The next phase of India's innovation journey, she said, should focus on converting research and intellectual property into practical value.
Key Challenges in Commercialising Indian Research
| Challenge | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Limited industry-academia collaboration | Research may not align with practical industry needs or market demand. |
| Insufficient commercialisation support | Researchers may struggle to license inventions or establish businesses around them. |
| Funding gaps | Promising technologies often need additional investment for prototypes, testing and scaling. |
| Weak technology transfer pathways | Universities need clear systems for managing intellectual property and negotiating licences. |
| Manufacturing and scale-up barriers | A successful laboratory experiment may still require significant engineering before mass production. |
Why Research and Development Investment Matters
Experts stressed that sustained R&D investment is essential because research creates the knowledge and intellectual property that can eventually support new industries. Without sufficient funding and institutional support, innovations may remain at the proof-of-concept stage instead of progressing to products that can be tested, manufactured and sold.
Deep-science ventures can face particularly demanding development cycles. Technologies in areas such as advanced materials, biotechnology, electronics and engineering may require specialised facilities, repeated testing, regulatory approvals and substantial capital before reaching commercial readiness.
Strengthening research infrastructure and providing support at different stages of development can help reduce the gap between an initial discovery and a commercially deployable technology.
How Universities and Industry Can Work Together
Closer collaboration between academic institutions, companies, investors and policymakers could make research more responsive to real-world needs. Universities can strengthen technology transfer offices, establish clear intellectual property policies and support researchers who want to license inventions or build startups.
- Industry partnerships: Companies can help identify practical problems and evaluate potential applications for academic research.
- Technology transfer offices: Dedicated teams can assist with patent management, licensing, industry partnerships and commercial negotiations.
- Student and grassroots innovation: Mentoring, prototyping facilities and incubation support can help promising ideas progress beyond initial demonstrations.
- Scale-up financing: Funding should support testing, product development and manufacturing, not only early-stage research.
- High-tech manufacturing: Stronger domestic capabilities can help translate protected inventions into products and competitive businesses.
What the Shift Means for India's Innovation Ecosystem
The discussion signals a broader shift in how innovation outcomes are assessed. Patent counts remain useful for measuring inventive activity, but they should be considered alongside indicators such as licensing agreements, products launched, technologies adopted by industry and businesses created from research.
India's ability to capture more value from its intellectual property will depend on whether research institutions can establish effective routes from discovery to adoption. Better financing, clearer licensing arrangements and stronger industry connections could help ensure that publicly funded and privately developed research delivers tangible benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do experts say India must bridge the patent commercialisation gap?
Patent filings show that inventions are being developed, but they do not guarantee that those inventions will become products, generate revenue or improve economic competitiveness.
What did WIPO's Sacha Wunsch-Vincent emphasise?
He stressed the importance of commercialising and licensing intellectual property rather than allowing research outputs to remain unused within universities.
What role can universities play in commercialisation?
Universities can improve intellectual property management, strengthen technology transfer offices, collaborate with companies and support researchers seeking to license inventions or establish startups.
Why do deep-science startups need additional funding?
Many advanced technologies require extensive prototyping, testing, validation and manufacturing development before they can be sold at scale.
How should innovation success be measured beyond patent filings?
Additional indicators include commercial licences, industry adoption, market-ready products, successful technology transfers and businesses developed from research.
Conclusion
Experts have called for India to move beyond counting patent filings and focus more strongly on converting intellectual property into economic and societal value. Sustained R&D investment, industry-academia partnerships, commercialisation expertise and scale-up financing will be crucial to this transition. The challenge is not simply to create more inventions, but to build an ecosystem that can turn promising research into useful technologies, competitive businesses and real-world outcomes.
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