Social Science Knowledge Commercialization: The Case Study of Social Sciences at Tbilisi State University

In: Studia politicae Universitatis Silesiensis, Band 34, S. 3-26

Abstract

Nowadays, deep cooperation between universities, research centres, and industry is seen as a stimulus for economic growth. Yet, it is still unclear how the knowledge commercialization process works in the countries with an experience of the highly centralized economy and education. Tbilisi State University is seen as the optimistic catalyst for further commercialization, mainly due to its international ties, though the issue of social science knowledge commercialization is still mostly neglected. In our research, the case of the oldest, the largest, and the most internationalized university in Georgia is analyzed. The comprehensive study aims to determine the macro and micro factors that make knowledge commercialization in social sciences successful or a failure. Results show that some university society representatives believe commercialization is mainly based on natural and exact sciences. In contrast, others claim that human development contribution is the most significant knowledge transfer that can be done.