Productization of Academic Research Services – A Framework for Business, Service, and Operational Models

Abstract

Collaboration in research between universities and industry is crucial for national development and innovation. However, as public organizations undergo restructuring and align with private sector advancements, navigating this transition can be challenging. Our approach aims to describe the essential components of academic service productization in response to new public management, aligning them with private sector needs. We adopted an integrative literature review, drawing from literature on new public management, public–private partnership logic, service-dominant logic, service design, design thinking, and service productization. Our framework, based on the objectives of the socio-economic learning economy—competence renewal, development acceleration, obtaining appropriate services, and increasing awareness and trust—forms the basis of our analysis. The main contribution lies in a framework that delineates the connection between business, service, and operational models. This study posits that new public management-oriented universities should consider private partners as co-creators in research and design service models that optimize processes for efficient collaboration. To ensure mutual understanding of research service deliverables and achieve joint desired outcomes, the productized operating model needs to be established to scale the delivery of service items.