Innovation and Commercialization in Pandemic Times: a Case Study From Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

Abstract COVID-19 health-related global urgency has witnessed a substantive impact on research and innovation activities. The uncertain situations have completed the governments and higher education institutions to change and adjust their work environment, but it also affected the research, teaching, and innovation development activities in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). The pandemic situation has posed few challenges and provided ample opportunities to reflect on the way the usual business is being conducted. It provides interesting experiences and novel mechanisms to adopt suitable mechanisms to adjust to the new normal and a few lessons learned to be better equipped to face such realities in the future. This paper aims to share the experience of one such situation in a pandemic as how the challenges and responses faced in one such situation at the institutional level during the pandemic and deliberated some interesting lessons learned to further formulate the strategic response to carry out planned innovation activities. The lessons learned are insightful for future practices to support in the areas of social innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship activities. The reflective account of case study responses collected from faculty and students' insights provides rich and diverse experiences that contextualize the achievements and mitigating effects. Furthermore, witnessing awareness, marketing, knowledge transfer, dissemination, and commercialization of innovation activities conducted during these testing times. The shared experiences are summarized in detail and diverse backgrounds are upheaved at the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of the case study. The lessons learned in adjusting to the new remote learning environment provide an interesting account of innovation activities. The findings suggest that a strong, focused approach with a professional commitment to the strategic direction of the institution makes relative success in achieving the objectives of the commercial office. The efficient management of commercial 0perations during and after COVID-19 to witness the real-time collaboration between researchers across the globe. The findings may be taken in careful application in other similar situations.