Translational Academic Capital: Why Do Some Industry Professionals Become Knowledge Producers in Academia, While Others Do Not?

Abstract

This study examines a critical question in higher education: why do some industry professionals effectively transition into knowledge producers in academia, while others with comparable expertise do not? Existing literature emphasises the value of practitioner involvement in academia but largely assumes that experiential knowledge can be readily translated into academic output. This paper challenges that assumption by introducing Translational Academic Capital (TAC), defined as the capability to transform experience into abstract, generalisable, and institutionally recognised knowledge. The study develops an integrated framework combining a three-stage translational process (extraction, abstraction, formalisation) with three corresponding filters (cognitive, epistemic, institutional) that govern progression at each stage. An illustrative case analysis demonstrates how variation in filter passage produces differentiated academic outcomes. The model is further extended by incorporating institutional context as a moderating condition and recognising disciplinary variation in the demands of knowledge translation. The findings reconceptualise the industry-to-academia transition as a capability-dependent and context-sensitive process and provide a foundation for future empirical research through operationalisation and testable propositions.