Designing a Revenue Sharing Model for Research Platforms

Objective
This research aims to examine and design a business model for research platforms, with the primary goal of commercializing research achievements and maintaining stakeholder satisfaction. A research platform refers to a collection of tools, services, and digital infrastructure that enables researchers, students, and educational and research institutions to effectively and efficiently conduct scientific research, collect data, analyze information, and publish their research findings. Research platforms can function as a comprehensive ecosystem where researchers can seamlessly and cohesively utilize all stages of research, from ideation to publication of results. These platforms have become particularly important in the digital age, given the increasing volume of data and the need for international collaboration in scientific research. In today's world, with the increasing competition in scientific and research fields, there is a growing need to create efficient and sustainable business models for research platforms. This study seeks to identify and analyze stakeholder needs and provide solutions for optimizing commercialization processes.
Research Methodology
The research is conducted descriptively, and the revenue-sharing model for research platforms is designed through a review of relevant articles on business models. In this context, a focus group method is used to identify and determine key partners, cost structures, and the revenue model of the system. This approach allows researchers to gather various opinions and experiences from stakeholders and arrive at a comprehensive and effective model.
Findings
One of the most significant outcomes of this model is the impact of the quality of theses and dissertations on the revenue generated from similarity detection services. The higher the quality of theses and dissertations in educational and research institutions, the greater the institution's share of the revenue from similarity detection will be. These findings highlight the importance of focusing on research quality and its impact on the financial success of research platforms. The proposed revenue structure involves charging a fee for each similarity check of a report. To allocate more revenue to higher-quality theses and dissertations, the top five most similar theses will share in the revenue. Additionally, universities with a higher number of graduate students and more theses indexed in the Ganj database will receive a larger share of the system's earnings. IranDoc, as the provider of this service and the aggregator and indexer of theses nationwide, will also be a partner in this system.
Discussion & Conclusion
The proposed model design can help improve the quality of research and increase the revenue of educational and research institutions, ultimately leading to the maintenance of stakeholder satisfaction. Based on the results obtained, it is recommended that educational and research institutions invest in improving research quality and establishing effective collaborations with research platforms to benefit from greater financial and scientific advantages. This approach will not only benefit the institutions but also contribute to the advancement of the scientific level of society.
Therefore, the institute's revenue from each similarity check will be at least 30%, and if the submitted text has no similarity, this amount will increase to 70%. This revenue structure allows educational and research institutions to directly benefit from the Hamandjoo system's services. Generally, educational and research institutions will earn 30% of the revenue based on the number of theses indexed in the Ganj database. This incentivizes them to pay more attention to registering and maintaining their theses and dissertations in the Ganj database. Additionally, to support the quality of produced theses, institutions can earn up to an additional 40% of the similarity revenue. This means that educational and research institutions can gain a larger share of the Hamandjoo system's revenue by providing high-quality theses and dissertations.
In the markets for journals and scientific conferences, 30% of the similarity check revenue is for value-added services for the institute, provided it is compared with the customer's desired database. However, if these services are also compared with the Ganj database, the institute's revenue share will increase to 70%. Of this amount, 30% will be allocated to educational and research institutions for providing the Ganj database. This revenue structure motivates institutions to actively participate in the process of registering and maintaining theses and dissertations.
In the proposed business model for the exclusive market (thesis and dissertation market), educational and research institutions will earn 30% of the Hamandjoo system's revenue based on the number of theses they have registered in the Ganj database. Additionally, to support top theses, up to 40% of the Hamandjoo system's revenue will be allocated to educational and research institutions whose submitted reports match their theses according to the Hamandjoo system's report. The institute will also earn at least 30% and up to 70% of the revenue for providing this service to prevent plagiarism. In the multipolar markets of journals and scientific conferences, educational and research institutions will only earn 30% of the similarity check revenue for providing the Ganj database. This is because research outputs from theses and dissertations are usually submitted as articles to journals or scientific conferences, resulting in a high similarity rate with theses and dissertations. Ultimately, 70% of the similarity check revenue for journal and conference articles will belong to the institute.