Policy and governance barriers to university research commercialization for sustainable development in Kenya

Universities play an increasingly important role in national innovation systems by generating research that can be translated into technologies, services and economic opportunities. In Kenya, however, the transformation of university research into commercially viable innovations remains limited despite the presence of national science, technology and innovation policies aimed at promoting research commercialization. This review examines the policy, governance and institutional barriers that constrain the commercialization of university research in Kenya and explores how weaknesses in the national innovation system influence the translation of research into socioeconomic value. A qualitative policy-oriented document analysis was conducted using national science, technology and innovation policy frameworks, institutional reports, commercialization strategies and scholarly studies published between 2013 and 2024. The analysis was guided by the National Innovation System and Triple Helix Model frameworks to examine governance structures, institutional coordination and interactions between universities, industry and government actors. The analysis identified four major categories of barriers: policy design and implementation gaps, institutional governance and capacity constraints, weak university–industry collaboration, and infrastructure and innovation ecosystem limitations. Fragmented policy mandates, limited commercialization incentives and weak coordination among innovation agencies constrain effective technology transfer mechanisms. In addition, structural features of the economy, including limited private-sector research and development(R&D) investment and the small scale of knowledge-intensive industries, reduce demand for university-generated innovations. While patenting and licensing activity remain relatively low, the analysis found that several university-generated innovations are utilized through consultancy engagements, collaborative research projects and technical service arrangements rather than through formal patent licensing or technology transfer mechanisms. The findings suggest that research commercialization challenges in Kenya arise primarily from systemic governance and coordination failures rather than from limited research output alone. Strengthening institutional mandates, enhancing university commercialization capacity and improving coordination among government, industry and research institutions will be critical for enabling universities to contribute effectively to a knowledge-based economy. More broadly, effective commercialization can support sustainable development by accelerating the translation of research into solutions that address societal, environmental and economic challenges while strengthening national innovation capacity.