‘Engineered’ University‐Industry Collaboration: A Social Capital Perspective

Abstract

While there is an extensive body of knowledge on university‐industry collaboration (UIC) for technology transfer, two salient gaps remain. First, studies on UIC have predominately focused on situations when the relationship is established based on perceived complementary needs between collaborators. However, research on ‘engineered’ UIC, or when the collaboration has been triggered and coordinated by a third‐party, is still scarce. Second, we lack proper understanding into the micro‐foundations of technology transfer process using the lens of social capital (SC). This is a necessary inquiry given the prevailing conception of technology transfer as a socio‐technical process. We address these two gaps by investigating the idiosyncrasy of SC in five case studies of the Faraday Partnership Initiative, a UK public‐sponsored programme designed to enhance cross‐sector technology transfer. As key contributions, we develop a conceptual framework that explains how social capital facilitates technology transfer in engineered UIC. We also advance the debate on academic engagement and commercialization by elaborating how knowledge produced by academics can be transformed into useable forms of technology by distinguishing between technology translation and transfer. The former emerged as a critical element of the latter.