Agricultural universities are important forces in agricultural science and technology innovation and patent output. Currently, the number of patents granted to agricultural universities in China continues to grow, yet the commercialization rate of these patents remains persistently low. A large number of research outcomes stay in laboratories, failing to contribute effectively to industrial development. This paper systematically examines the structural dilemmas facing patent commercialization in agricultural universities: the misalignment between research orientation and industrial demand leads to inadequate quality of patent supply; weak intellectual property protection and insufficient professional services undermine the market value of patents; the lack of pilot-scale testing and the special characteristics of agricultural technologies raise the threshold for industrialization; and management systems and incentive mechanisms fail to motivate researchers to engage in commercialization. These four factors are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. On this basis, the paper proposes four corresponding promotion pathways: improving quality at the source, strengthening protection, smoothing market channels, and reforming institutional incentives. The aim is to provide references for breaking the bottlenecks in patent commercialization and promoting the practical application of agricultural research outcomes.

Qian Zhang. Dilemmas and Promotion Pathways of Patent Commercialization in Agricultural Universities. International Journal of New Developments in Education (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 7: 15-19. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJNDE.2026.080703.

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