<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Introduction</h3>
In academia, Research and Development (R&amp;D) commercialization refers to the process of transforming the outcomes of scientific or technological activities into tangible marketable products. This enables all participants in the commercialization process to translate their innovations into products that meet consumer demands, thereby generating additional income for them through the establishment of startups or small businesses affiliated to larger institutions. Whether these startups succeed or not, their products or services contribute, in one way or another, to the development of the local or global economy, depending on their ability to expand. Thus, R&amp;D commercialization has become the backbone of the development of knowledge-driven economies, which focus on the evolution of knowledge and technology as primary products. Notable examples include the Asian Dragons: South Korea, China, and Singapore.
Given the current economic development needs of any country, which require the maximum utilization of innovative technologies and the integration of new technologies into their societies, R&amp;D improvement and commercialization typically results from stimulating innovation activities related to research institutions. This commentary is to highlight the regulatory environment for patent commercialization in Egypt compared to another country, namely South Korea. Additionally, it will provide alternative solutions for policies and procedures that could help overcome current obstacles and enhance research activity in Egypt.
<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Patents: modest performance</h3>
The Egyptian contribution to international patents has always been modest, especially in recent years. While the world recorded approximately 3.55 million patent applications in 2023 (WIPO, 2024), Egyptians and foreigners in Egypt submitted 2,101 patent applications in the same year, according to Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) 2024. In 2022, 1,914 applications were registered marking an increase of 9.8%. The total number of patent applications submitted by Egyptians reached 720 in 2023, up from 589 in 2022 representing a 22.2% increase. In contrast, the total number of applications from foreigners was 1,381, accounting for 65.7% in 2023, compared to 1,325 in 2022.
Regarding patents granted, the total number for Egyptians and foreigners was approximately 317 in 2023; Egyptians were granted only 71 patents compared to 102 patents in 2022, reflecting a decrease of 30.4%. Similarly, the share of foreigners declined by 40% from 2022 as they were granted 410 patents compared to 246 in 2023 (CAPMAS, 2024).
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://api-aps.aucegypt.edu/uploads/tinymce/1739960357imagemceclip3.jpg" width="629">
Comparing these numbers to Egypt's population of 107,257,440 (CAPMAS, 2025), the application average reaches about 6.72 per million. In contrast, South Korea, with a population of approximately 51,667,029 (WorldoMeter, 2024), recorded around 288,001 patent applications. Hence, the application average is 3,696 per million people, ranking the first globally in patent registration activity (WIPO, 2023).
According to Figure 2, over the past five years, the gap between the two countries has widened. While South Korea has been steadily increasing its patent applications from 248,553 in 2019 to 288,414 in 2023 (an increase of 16%), Egypt's numbers decreased from 1,183 in 2019 to 812 in 2023 (a decline of approximately 31.5%). This highlights the need to reconsider policies supporting research outputs.
<h3 dir="ltr"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://api-aps.aucegypt.edu/uploads/tinymce/1739960376imagemceclip4.jpg" width="629"></h3>
<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">R&amp;D commercialization policies: unfair comparison</h3>
The significant success achieved by South Korean research institutions in R&amp;D commercialization can be attributed to clear policies established by the government. South Korea adopted the Triple Helix model of knowledge transfer, which relies on interaction between industry, universities as a tool for research and development, and government. This model primarily aims to support the establishment of a knowledge-based and innovative economy, rather than just manufacturing-based or efficiency-driven economy. This system operates under the Technology Transfer and Commercialization Promotion Act issued in 2006, which is periodically amended and recently in 2020. It aims to enhance the technological competitiveness of all industries by formulating and implementing policies to facilitate the transfer of technology developed by public research institutions to the private sector.
The law requires the government to conduct surveys to gather facts about the actual state of inventions or technologies intended for marketing, ensuring that essential data is secured for project implementation. It also mandates support for specialized companies that assist in marketing by compensating them for all or part of the expenses incurred in providing marketing assistance, prioritizing companies involved in projects that facilitate technology transfer and commercialization.
Moreover, the law mandates facilitating international cooperation in technology transfer between the South Korean government and companies, colleges, universities, research institutes, and other organizations, as well as international organizations or foreign governments. It also stipulates on compensating local governments for expenses incurred in promoting technology transfer projects, whether in collaboration with private companies or universities. Additionally, the law establishes foundations for providing investments and loans secured by technology to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in enhancing their growth and competitiveness. It grants the government the right to waive government property rights in favor of institutions involved in technology transfer and commercialization. It also offers exemptions for researchers participating in projects licensed with intellectual property rights resulting from research and development (Korea Legislation Research Institute, n.d.).
In contrast, Egypt lacks policies that define the ecosystem for R&amp;D commercialization, given the absence of clear mechanisms to link research activities between universities and industry. This ultimately leads to the archiving research outcomes due to its lack of relevance to the industrial or societal sectors. Egyptian policies rely on several laws, including the Intellectual Property Rights Protection Law No. 82 of 2002, amended in 2020, which outlines the procedures for granting patents and their protection duration (WIPO, n.d., a), as well as the Science, Technology, and Innovation Incentives Law No. 23/ 2018, which allows research institutions and universities to establish companies independently or in partnership with others, involving researchers in these companies with pre-determined shares. According to this law, research institutions are fully exempt from customs, duties and taxes for these startups (Legal Publications, 2018). This was followed by Law No. 150/ 2019 concerning the establishment of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), which is responsible for funding various scientific projects and exploiting their results through the establishment of companies independently or in partnership with others (Legal Publications, 2019). Despite these laws, no companies, whether startups or small enterprises, have yet been established to utilize the research results produced by scientific research institutions, raising questions about the effectiveness of these laws and their implementation mechanisms.
In 2022, the National Intellectual Property Strategy was announced stipulating on "coordination among stakeholders to achieve integration between research, academic institutions, and the industrial sector" (WIPO, n.d., b). However, it did not specify the mechanisms through which the state could achieve this coordination and the role of the state in providing facilities for researchers to establish their companies, nor did any of the previous laws obligate the government to provide any financial or investment facilitation for researchers.
<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Alternative solutions</h3>
Given the potential consequences of this multitude of laws concerning R&amp;D Commercialization and its entailed procedures, and looking into the ecosystems of countries that have managed to achieve a qualitative leap in their economies based on their researchers and research institutions, the following is proposed:
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Reviewing all laws related to patents, incentives, and funding for science, technology, and innovation, consolidating them into a single law to be a reference for all researchers and institutions wishing to market their scientific research outcomes. This is in addition to assigning a specific entity to monitor and follow up the implementation of research projects and assist researchers in conducting feasibility studies, business models, and business plans.
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Developing a general strategy to link academic and research institutions, government, and industry, whereby the government provides special facilities for establishing companies resulting from scientific research in exchange for a determined percentage and simplifies manufacturing procedures or activates research for the benefit of both the scientific institution and the private company.
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Obligating universities and research institutions to establish affiliated companies managed by researchers involved in related research projects in partnership with an industrial entity, whether from the private or public sector, offering financial incentives in the event of profits or in exchange for a share of equity.
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Creating a commercialization roadmap for priority research projects that could serve the Egyptian economy by making data related to relevant fields available and providing all financial facilitation for patent applications, whether submitted solely by the researcher or in collaboration with industrial institutions.
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Assigning business incubators, whether government or private, to network researchers with investors in related sectors at any stage of research development.
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Compensating researchers for any costs associated with research projects that the government converts into projects or affiliated companies, whether through financial compensation or a specified share of equity.
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<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">Conclusion</h3>
Due to the recent burdens facing the Egyptian economy concerning manufacturing, production, and the high cost of imports, leveraging the R&amp;D outcomes in research institutions has become an unavoidable necessity for localizing manufacturing and supporting the national economy, transforming it into a knowledge and technology-based economy rather than the market-driven one.
<hr>
References
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Kenzhaliyev, O.B., Ilmaliyev, ZH.B; Tsekhovoy, A.F; Triyono, Moch B.; Kassymova G.K; Alibekova G. Zh &amp; Tayouva, G.Zh. (2021). Conditions to Facilitate Commercialization of R&amp;D in Case of Kazakhstan. Technology in Science 67. Retrieved from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X21002670">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X21002670</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Korea Legislation Research Institute (n.d): Technology Transfer and commercialization Promotion Act. Retrieved from <a href="https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_mobile/viewer.do?hseq=55712&amp;type=part&amp;key=28">https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_mobile/viewer.do?hseq=55712&amp;type=part&amp;key=28</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">WorldoMeter (2025): South Korea population. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/south-korea-population/">https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/south-korea-population/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">WIPO (n.d,a): Law No. 82 of 2002 on the Protection of Intellectual Property rights, Egypt. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/legislation/details/22066">https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/legislation/details/22066</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">WIPO (n.d, b): National Intellectual Property Strategy Egypt. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/legislation/details/22399">https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/legislation/details/22399</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">WIPO (2023): Intellectual Property Statistical Country Profile 2023: South Korea. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.wipo.int/edocs/statistics-country-profile/en/kr.pdf">https://www.wipo.int/edocs/statistics-country-profile/en/kr.pdf</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">WIPO (2024). World Intellectual Property Indicators 2024. patent Highlights. retrieved from <a href="https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/world-intellectual-property-indicators-2024-highlights/en/patents-highlights.html">HTTPS://WWW.WIPO.INT/WEB-PUBLICATIONS/WORLD-INTELLECTUAL-PROPERTY-INDICATORS-2024-HIGHLIGHTS/EN/PATENTS-HIGHLIGHTS.HTML</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Arabic References
<ul>
<li dir="rtl" style="text-align: justify;">الجهاز المركزي للتعبئة العامة والإحصاء: النشرة السنوية لبراءات الاختراع والعلامات التجارية عام 2023، إصدار يوليو 2024&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="rtl" style="text-align: justify;">الجهاز المركزي للتعبئة العامة والإحصاء: عدد سكان مصر، <a href="https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/populationClock.aspx">https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/populationClock.aspx</a></li>
<li dir="rtl" style="text-align: justify;">منشورات قانونية (2018): قانون حوافز العلوم والتكنولوجيا والابتكار: <a href="https://manshurat.org/node/25907">https://manshurat.org/node/25907</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li dir="rtl" style="text-align: justify;">منشورات قانونية (2019): قانون إنشاء هيئة تمويل العلوم والتكنولوجيا والابتكار رقم 150 لسنة 2019. <a href="https://manshurat.org/node/61251">https://manshurat.org/node/61251</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

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