Abstract
PurposeKnowledge sharing in research communities has been considered indispensable to progress in science. The aim of this paper is to analyze the mechanisms restricting knowledge sharing in science. It considers three categories of academia–industry knowledge transfer and a range of individual and contextual variables as possible predictors of knowledge-sharing restrictions.Design/methodology/approachA unique empirical data sample was collected based on a survey among 212 life science researchers affiliated with universities and other non-profit research institutions. A rich descriptive analysis was followed by binominal regression analysis, including relevant checks for the robustness of the results.FindingsResearchers in academia who actively collaborate with industry are more likely to omit relevant content from publications in co-authorship with other academic researchers; delay their co-authored publications, exclude relevant content during public presentations; and deny requests for access to their unpublished and published knowledge.Practical implicationsThis study informs policymakers that different types of knowledge-sharing restrictions are predicted by different individual and contextual factors, which suggests that policies concerning academia–industry knowledge and technology transfer should be tailored to contextual specificities.Originality/valueThis study contributes new predictors of knowledge-sharing restrictions to the literature on academia–industry interactions, including outcome expectations, trust and sharing climate. This study augments the knowledge management literature by separately considering the roles of various academic knowledge-transfer activities in instigating different types of knowledge-sharing restrictions in scientific research.
Highlights
Knowledge sharing among scientists in academic communities is a central pillar of scientific progress (Dasgupta and David, 1994) because it increases the overall efficiency of the science system by “making knowledge available to others” (Ipe, 2003, p. 341)
The findings indicate that, even in settings where there is a relatively low level of researcher engagement in academia–industry knowledge transfer, such activities can positively correlate with knowledge-sharing restrictions
Considering that the dependent variables did not follow a normal distribution, the models were estimated using a negative binomial j j PAGE 1546 JOURNAL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT VOL. 24 NO. 7 2020 regression, which accounts for the overdispersion of count variables (Hausman et al, 1984; Walsh et al, 2007)
Summary
Knowledge sharing among scientists in academic communities is a central pillar of scientific progress (Dasgupta and David, 1994) because it increases the overall efficiency of the science system by “making knowledge available to others” (Ipe, 2003, p. 341). Knowledge sharing among scientists in academic communities is a central pillar of scientific progress (Dasgupta and David, 1994) because it increases the overall efficiency of the science system by “making knowledge available to others” The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Human Genome Project are prominent examples of knowledge-sharing platforms across several countries and disciplines that have led to major scientific breakthroughs. Knowledge sharing involves providing know-how to help. Ani Gerbin is based at the Faculty of Medicine, Center for Proteomics, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia. Mateja Drnovsek is based at the School of Economics and Business, Academic Unit for Entrepreneurship, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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