Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): Accelerating Research Commercialization: How Digital Tools Drive Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

In the context of accelerating research commercialization, digital tools have emerged as essential enablers of collaboration, communication, and knowledge sharing for start-ups and spin-offs. This study aims to investigates how digital tools support research commercialization in start-ups and spin-offs, particularly within Asia's higher education-linked innovation ecosystems, addressing the underexplored concrete impact of these tools despite their widespread adoption. The objective is to understand how digital collaboration infrastructures influence the pathways, performance, and scalability of commercialization efforts and to generate empirically grounded insights into their strategic value. A quantitative exploratory design was adopted, utilizing a structured survey administered via Google Forms to 56 participants across Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and visual analytics. Findings indicate high adoption rates of digital tools, with 71.4% of participants regularly using at least two tools, and video conferencing being universally adopted (100%). Real-time document editing and sharing was the most valued feature (85.7%). However, significant challenges include software or license restrictions (71.4%), difficulty connecting with investors or partners online (71.4%), and difficulty tracking progress or lack of training (71.4%). The study concludes that while digital platforms are central to contemporary commercialization efforts, facilitating communication, collaboration, and knowledge management, their effectiveness is influenced by contextual factors such as regulatory complexity, digital literacy, and infrastructural access, limiting their contribution to later-stage activities like investor engagement and legal compliance.