Determination of importance of key decision points in the technology commercialization process: Attitude of the US and German experts

Abstract

With the help of commercialization, inventions become marketable commodities that find new ways of solving problems. Turning technology into reality requires an excellent understanding of the development process from idea to market of the technology. The primary purpose of this article was to examine the commercialization process of inventions and divide the commercialization process into stages that culminate in decision points. Opinions of different authors and representatives of R&D organizations were compared concerning the content of technology commercialization, which is understood and named differently in the scientific and practical literature. Later, with the help of two groups of experts from the US and Germany, the importance of key decision points was determined. The research results were summarized using the MCDM method: the integrated Fuzzy Delphic–Eckenrode Likert-type Scale-based Rating Technique (FDELSRT). The results of this study can be applied in practice to making strategic decisions related to the allocation of efforts, limited time, and financial resources based on the determined importance of key decision points. Research in different countries and the comparison of results will identify areas and opportunities for further mutual learning and more intensive, mutually beneficial international cooperation in technology development.