The barriers against effective university industry collaboration - A study in Turkish aviation industry

Abstract

Purpose - The aim of this study is to explore the current situation of collaboration and knowledge transfer between aviation industry and higher education institutions offering aviation management programs in Turkey and to identify the perceived barriers against effective collaborations and knowledge transfer from industry point of view. Methodology - Semi-structured interviews were used to meet the research objectives. The data was analyzed with the help of MaxQda qualitative data analysis program. Findings - The findings reveal that there is poor collaboration and knowledge transfer between aviation management departments of universities and aviation industry in Turkey. The main barriers against effective collaboration and knowledge transfer from aviation industry actors’ perspectives are the lack of research orientation of the academy, lack of industry experience and practical knowledge of the academicians, and lack of commercial mindset of the academicians. In addition, academy and industry having different motivations for collaborations, academy being slow in adapting to changes and poor collaboration culture of the industry are other important barriers identified by the industry actors. Conclusion - It is expected that the implications brought by this study would help aviation industry and aviation academy partners in developing sustainable collaborations.