Beyond Patents: How to turn Humanities Research into a Scalable Social Venture

Kalamna offers a distinctive example of research valorisation beyond traditional commercialisation pathways. Its journey began with research into Arabic literacy and developed through community-based testing, educational resource development and the creation of a mission-led social venture. This session will bring together the researcher-founder and university perspectives to examine how that journey was supported, what made a social venture the right vehicle, and how universities can create more flexible pathways for translating humanities research into real-world impact.

This Fireside Chat will focus on:

1. How humanities research can move from academic insight to a practical proposition.
2. How community testing and user engagement can shape the development of research-based products and services.
3. How impact funding, licensing and university support can enable forms of research valorisation beyond patents and conventional spin-outs.
4. What researchers and universities need to consider when moving from early-stage impact to sustainable scale.

Dr Saussan Khalil is a Senior Teaching Associate in Arabic at the University of Cambri

dge and co-founder of Kalamna Global.

Her research focuses on Arabic sociolinguistics and language teaching, particularly the relationship between spoken and Standard Arabic and how this affects the way children learn the language. She is the creator of the research-based Kalamna Phonics Toolkit and author of Arabic Writing in the Digital Age. Her research was developed and tested through Kalamna, an award-winning social enterprise she founded in 2018, before the establishment of Kalamna Global in 2024 to take its evidence-based approach to Arabic language learning to a wider international audience.

Dr Emma Salgård Cunha is Director of DeepTech & Software at Cambridge Enterprise, the University of Cambridge’s innovation and commercialisation arm.

Emma develops technology licensing and venture creation projects and has a particular interest in non-patent intellectual property, software and research-based interventions. She originally joined Cambridge Enterprise to establish its commercialisation support for arts, humanities and social sciences researchers, supporting more than 500 researchers to explore routes to impact. She has since helped establish ventures including Kalamna Global and has overseen the licensing of research outputs ranging from data and software to evidence-based interventions. A literary historian by training, Emma holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

A UIIN Fireside Chat is a 30-minute interview session between a UIIN facilitator and an external industry expert on a high-level topic. Participants will leave with insights and inspiration after hearing the experiences and perspectives of the guest speaker, and have the opportunity to ask questions during the session. Fireside Chats are also recorded for UIIN podcasts and are available after the session.