Trinidad and Tobago is fast removing its reliance on the oil and gas industry to sustain its economy. Such a move often requires new and innovative approaches to achieve competitive advantages for nations. One such approach explores the notion that University-Industry collaboration aimed at increasing the level of technological innovation and subsequent commercialisation of academic research may prove advantageous in transitioning from an efficiency-driven economy to an innovation-driven economy. By creating such links, it is suggested that Trinidad and Tobago will increase the competitiveness of the region as a whole. Specifically, the academic entrepreneurial concept has a unique application when researched in the context of commercialisation of university research and innovation.

The commercialisation cycle at universities is hampered by administrative burdens, bureaucratic procedures and financial constraints, risking a successful outcome. The consequences of this result in the loss of government investment in research and development. The return on investment is important for the economic prosperity, regional benchmarking and the global competitiveness of Trinidad and Tobago. This study will therefore aim to analyse the environment, degree, reasons and consequences of the gap between university academic research and the commercialisation thereof. It will investigate approaches to enhance commercialisation strategies to bridge the gap between scholarly research and commercial use within industry. Overall, it will raise an inquiry of why the rate of commercialisation of academic research and innovation at Trinidad and Tobago universities remains so low.

The study will provide an understanding of the innovation cycle at local universities and its successful conveyance to industry for commercialisation. It will also guide efforts undertaken by these universities to convert academic research and innovation into tangible outcomes and the subsequent challenges associated with the process. It will conclude on why Trinidad and Tobago universities appear to have a lagging commercialisation of research culture resulting in little or no return on investments to the university, the inventor and the national economy.

A case study approach utilising mixed methods is suggested for two reasons: firstly, to capitalise on the in-depth feedback from semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and, secondly, to gather generalised data pertinent to a sample population of subject-matter experts, innovators, inventors, patent holders, and academic personnel within Trinidad and Tobago universities. Semi-structured surveys will be disseminated to all relevant academic stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago research universities as a means of quantitative data collection. This varied method will be applied to compensate for the deficiencies of any singular approach.