[Rhapso]

As a researcher you have a cycle of motivation. You need to publish papers to journals (semi-public) to get grants.

Grants lead both to more publications (again public) and patents (normally co-owned by you and your university).

Patents are then licensed by the university to companies to commercialize. Sometimes we academics decide to commercialize research ourselves, but more often universities license patents to government contractors who are supported by the initial grant-providing government agency.