University Industry Government Research Articles

Building Collaborative Innovation Platforms for Engineering Education

The paper discusses the challenges of co-creating a 21st-century engineering, architecture, and urbanism curriculum in Egypt, emphasising the need for collaboration between the government, industry, and higher education providers. The paper aims to overcome barriers in the Government-University-Industry (GUI) nexus to align and enhance the engineering sector's contribution to Egypt's economic prosperity. The study identifies cultural, educational, and structural factors influencing innovation in Egypt and addresses gaps at the national, university, and program levels. The paper highlights the similarities of innovation landscape with the UK. The authors identified, poor communication and alignment between national goals, industrial strategy, and academic research that hinder engineering innovation in Egypt. The research highlights the inflexibility and lack of clarity in the current engineering curriculum, contrasting the evolving demands and advancements in engineering technology. The paper also refers to the UK Apprenticeship Education Programme as a possible model for improving industrial collaboration and discusses its relevance to Egypt's technical education initiatives.

No Interaction, No Problem? An Investigation of Organizational Issues in the University–Industry–Government Triad in a Transition Economy

No Interaction, No Problem? An Investigation of Organizational Issues in the University–Industry–Government Triad in a Transition Economy

Collaboration in Decarbonisation Research: Comparing the UK and European Funding Landscape

Industrial decarbonisation has become an increasingly important policy issue in recent years, as governments and nations aim to tackle the climate crisis. This study makes use of UK research council and Horizon 2020 data to map the research landscape for industrial decarbonisation. This includes an analysis of 435 projects funded by various UK research councils, and 239 projects funded under Horizon 2020 linked to industrial decarbonisation. This study finds in the UK case, University–Industry–Government links are critical elements of the decarbonisation research landscape. Universities playing key roles in the UK system are often members of the prestigious Russell Group. In the case of the European industrial decarbonisation landscape (as captured by projects funded under Horizon 2020), private firms play a crucial role. This study also maps a country-to-country collaboration network based on industrial decarbonisation research projects funded under Horizon 2020. This study examines the link between country position in the network and share of electricity consumption that comes from coal; no significant relationship is identified.

The role of university–industry linkages in promoting technology transfer: implementation of triple helix model relations

AbstractThis study recognized the importance of linking higher education institutions with various industries in a given country to promote technology transfer and sustainable development. However, in one or another way, the linkage was not well-practiced in Ethiopia. The study aims to assess the role of university–industry linkages in technology transfer and identify the barriers and opportunities of the linkage. Universities have institutionalized intermediary organizations such as technology transfer offices, collaborative research centers, incubators, and science parks to enhance university–industry collaboration. The collaboration between academia and industry is understood as the transactions between universities and firms that involve the exchange of knowledge, skills, resources, and capabilities. The study uses the concept of the triple helix model and proposes the establishment of the Higher Education Institutions–Industry Resource Integration Center as a way forward to solving the problems that Ethiopian industries are facing. A triple helix of university–industry–government relations is emerging as a common format that transcends national boundaries. The integration of these functions is changing the nature of the university and its role in society. The potential for national development in Ethiopia and elsewhere resides in entrepreneurial universities taking the lead in infusing knowledge, innovation, technology, and enterprise into the entire society.

Probing Faculty Perspectives and Experiences for Framework Development of an Online University- Industry-Government Collaboration Platform

University-industry-government (UIG) collaboration nurtures the innovation ecosystem that sustains competitiveness and drives national economic growth. In the Philippines, however, there is limited collaboration between the UIG, thus resulting in untapped opportunities. An integrated web-based collaboration platform for researcher profiles, tools, and resources in Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) would help promote and strengthen UIG collaboration. In this light, this study conducted a baseline assessment to gain insights into the faculty members’ perceived motivations, current contexts, and challenges of UIG collaborations. These insights guided the development of a framework that would inform the development of an online collaboration platform. The survey was participated in by 111 faculty members from a university system. Analysis showed that respondents had a wide range of experiences in their collaboration, wherein there was an overall satisfaction rating of 3.99 on their collaboration. Findings revealed that building connections or networks and professional development were the main drivers for faculty members to engage in collaboration. On the other hand, communication- and coordination-related issues were among the top collaboration challenges. Also identified as concerns were the differences in perspectives and the low commitment levels of some collaborators. The respondents expressed the necessity for an integrated platform that can facilitate collaboration activities, including opportunity-matching aligned with their professional experience and research interests. Better project management and streamlining of administrative processes were also cited to further enhance the collaboration experience. These findings underscore the necessity for improvement in strategic planning, resource allocation, enhanced faculty support, and opportunity-matching aligned with faculty expertise that can facilitate more effective collaboration among stakeholders. This research has essential implications for the improvement of the collaboration and similarly could provide important inputs and salient features for the development of a UIG collaboration platform.

Career trajectory and cross‐system mobility: Career planning of doctoral students in Macao

AbstractThis study investigates career trajectory and work locations of doctoral students trained in Macao and analyses how their career paths are shaped by perceived macro‐level factors. Respondents from four applied disciplinary areas were selected for semi‐structured in‐depth interviews. Research results show that doctoral students who graduated from Macao higher education institutions enjoy good career prospects in Mainland China. Their competitiveness in the research‐related job market benefits from having a multi‐level support system and a training mode that promotes government–university–industry collaboration. Policies and demand from industrial sectors are involved in students' learning experience through channels such as financial support, project collaboration and networks. Doctoral students in Macao are strategic planners and actors in leveraging their human capital. As Macao becomes an emerging destination for cultivating high‐level research labour, findings from this study capture a model of human capital formation in China's cross‐system context.

Does university–industry–government collaboration in research gets higher citation and altmetric impact? A case study from India

Does university–industry–government collaboration in research gets higher citation and altmetric impact? A case study from India

Assessment of science, technology and innovation parks based on helices actors linkages

PurposeThis study aims to examine the evolution of three science, technology and innovation parks (STIPs) located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from the perspective of the university–industry–government linkages.Design/methodology/approachThis is a multiple case study organized in two stages: first, bibliographic and documentary research to develop a theoretical framework and description of the innovation environments; and second, interviews and forms filling with 13 managers and stakeholders, combined with participant observation. The analysis and assessment of the evolution of each environment are based on a tool named Amaral’s Model for Innovation Environment Management (AMIEM).FindingsThere are critical issues for the development of STIPs, namely, governance structure, government participation and the relationship with knowledge sources such as universities. The time of existence is not a significant factor in reaching evolution. Although common factors are present in all environments, local particularities, specific characteristics, regional vocations, management leadership and other elements have an impact on park performance.Practical implicationsAMIEM is an assessment tool and a technological product, useful in mapping and evaluating innovation environments.Social implicationsSTIPs are dynamic and maturing, requiring active management and engagement with government and companies.Originality/valueThe results allow a better comprehension of the evolution and management of the STIPs located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Another contribution lies in the organization of information to design public policies.

Collaborative innovation relationship in Yangtze River Delta of China: Subjects collaboration and spatial correlation

In the regional innovation system (RIS), the triple helix (TH) relations of university, industry, government (UIG) have received wide attention, but the spatial correlation involving various innovation subjects has rarely been deeply analyzed, especially in urban agglomeration. Based on the triple helix perspective, this paper integrates the collaborative coupling relationship between innovation subjects and the spatial correlation between regions in the RIS under a theoretical framework. Two types of collaborative innovation networks are constructed: one is the collaborative coupling network between UIG, one is the spatial correlation network between different areas. Using the invention patent data of provinces in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2014 to 2018, and on account of the TH algorithm based on mutual information, to explore the collaborative innovation relationship from the two dimensions of collaborative coupling among innovation subjects and spatial correlation among regions. The results show that:(1) Jiangsu has an obvious leading advantage in the total amount of invention patents, Zhejiang and Anhui have witnessed a rapid growth of patent output. (2) In the YRD region, the collaboration between university and industry is the closest, the UIG collaborative relationship is close in Shanghai, the collaborative relationship between industry and university in Jiangsu is close. (3) The bilateral correlation between Jiangsu and the other three provinces is relatively strong; the bilateral correlation between Zhejiang and the other three provinces tends to be close. The trilateral correlation among Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui is relatively close. This study expands the application fields of the TH theory and provides a new perspective and method for RIS research. The research results offer helpful theoretical support and policy inspiration for accurately grasping the development law of the regional innovation in the YRD and coordinating the relationship between different subjects and different regions in the innovation network.

A Systematic Literature Review of Partnership Development at the University–Industry–Government Nexus

The increasingly entrepreneurial intent of universities implies the commercialization of knowledge and innovation through the triple helix of interactions between universities, industry and government. However, there remains a lack of clarity concerning best practice partnerships for innovation. This systematic literature review (SLR) provides insights onto the development of partnerships at the university–industry–government nexus and builds on the existing top-down/bottom-up approach for the creation of intermediaries of innovation. The SLR describes the evolution of these intermediaries, which is driven both by criteria set by partners and the globalization of the knowledge economy. This SLR reveals that the partnership structure most likely to further economic and broader societal goals is the living lab with the inherent focus on open innovation and co-creation. This SLR reveals that the living lab structure (and including sustainability labs and urban living labs) is the partnership structure utilized for innovation that addresses economic, social and environmental goals. Two areas are recommended for further research. One concerns the development of a deeper understanding of the relationship between the evolution in the structures of partnerships for innovation and how it is influenced by the globalization of the economy, society and environment, and changing modes of knowledge production. The other is to better understand why the living lab approach to partnership creation is best suited to the delivery of sustainable development objectives and how this learning can be applied to other models of partnership development at the university–industry–government nexus.

Status quo of the South African clothing industry’s university-industry-government collaborations

The South African clothing industry is among the industries viewed as strategic for socio-economic development by the South African government. The government’s industrial policies incorporated University-Industry-Government (UIG) Research and Development (R&D) collaborations in efforts to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063, among others. The literature on UIG R&D collaborations in the context of developing economies and the clothing industry is limited and requires attention to support the achievement of the SDGs and AU Agenda aspirations. This paper presents the status quo of the South African clothing industry using qualitative and quantitative data. The authors interviewed 12 respondents from: the university fashion departments (3), clothing firms (2), clothing consulting firms (2), clothing-related research institutions (2), clothing-related the government divisions (3) and surveyed 22 clothing firms. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data. The results show that the government plays a dominant role in these collaborations through policy, grants and incentives because of the lack of R&D activities in the South African clothing industry. The institutional sphere performs R&D activities mainly in isolation while some are pockets of R&D bilateral collaborations performed at arm’s length. In light of this, the results indicate that the South African clothing industry is currently at the statist stage. The current triple helix model in play may negatively affect the role that the South African clothing industry can play in achieving the SDGs and AU Agenda.

The Role of Performance Measurement in University–Industry Collaboration Projects as a Part of Managing Triple Helix Operations

Abstract As part of contemporary Triple Helix operations, universities are more and more frequently asked to collaborate with other social actors to generate knowledge that supports their innovation and development activities and to foster economic growth. In addition to research and education tasks, universities are developing formal and informal collaborations with industrial organizations to fulfill the third mission of societal effectiveness and to receive funding from research grants. These university-industry research and development projects, at the societal level and from the viewpoints of policymakers and financiers, aim to create economic growth and to support the innovation and learning capabilities of the organizations, among other benefits. One key challenge to managing these collaborative activities between universities and other societal organizations is related to measuring and evaluating them. Therefore, this study focuses on supporting the future development of evaluation and performance measurement for the operational-level activities of university–industry–government relationships. The study explores the performance measurement practices currently used by universities and financiers and intends to increase the understanding of both current performance measurement practices and the challenges regarding university–industry (UI) collaboration projects. The empirical data for this study were gathered from UI research projects in Finland. As part of the management of university–industry–government relations and Triple Helix operations, the results of this study reveal some challenges in the evaluation and measurement of the collaborative projects in the three phases explored: before the project, during the project, and after the project. The study’s results indicate that UI collaboration projects’ performance evaluation practices are based mainly on the tasks promised in the projects’ applications. Furthermore, measurements are mainly used for external-reporting purposes. To support the future development of the evaluation and performance measurement of university–industry–government relations, some propositions for overcoming these challenges are presented, and the potential implications of the findings for scholars, university members, financier representatives, and policy makers are discussed.

Triple helix relationship research on China's regional university–industry–government collaborative innovation: Based on provincial patent data

AbstractOver the last 20 years, university–industry–government collaborative innovation has received extensive attention in theory and practice. However, the question of how to integrate and understand collaborative innovation from a theoretical perspective has not been thoroughly studied. This study designed a regional collaborative innovation evaluation model based on the triple helix theory. The invention patent data of 31 provincial regions in China for the last 5 years are used to investigate the regional differences and dynamic evolution of the collaborative innovation and the interaction and coupling relationship between intraregional and interregional industries, universities, and governments empirically. This study found that the number of invention patents in China has rapidly grown yearly, indicating that industries are the most important source of invention patents. The difference in the regional distribution of China's collaborative innovation output is remarkable, showing a pattern of “strong east and weak west” in the total volume and “south fast north slow” in the growth rate. The bilateral synergistic effect of industry–university relations is strong considering two‐dimensional cooperation, and the relationship is close. Collaborative innovation is dominated by intraregional cooperation, whereas interregional cooperation shows a growing trend. The tripartite relationship between university, industry, and government shows a loose trend. Certain provinces with weak regional innovation capabilities, such as Gansu, Hainan, Xinjiang, and Qinghai, have a relatively close cooperation level, which is in the stage of government‐led innovation and development. However, Guangdong, Chongqing, Anhui, Jiangsu, and other provinces with outstanding regional innovation capability do not have close cooperation between universities, industries, and governments, which are in the stage of innovation and development led by industries. This paper discusses the policy implications for different regions based on the research conclusions.

Management of Regional Knowledge: Knowledge Flows Among University, Industry, and Government

The purpose of this paper is to study the process of knowledge creation and management in a geographic region, highlighting the knowledge flow through university–industry–government collaboration. The knowledge flow is analyzed from the perspective of the SECI model (socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization), developed by Nonaka and Takeuchi and of the triple helix concept, applied to the region knowledge theory. An analysis of the literature has been conducted in order to establish testable relationships between theories of knowledge management (KM), triple helix (TH) model, and regional knowledge (RK). A conceptual model that integrates theories of KM, TH, and RK represents a valuable framework to stimulate knowledge production and innovation through university–industry–government cooperation and collaboration in geographic regions. The knowledge economy needs to stimulate innovation and sustainable development. As it depends on knowledge, the study is justified as it suggests a new framework for knowledge production and innovation in regions, emphasizing the collaboration and interaction among players in order to consolidate the synergy as in a knowledge production chain.

Portugal’s Changing Defense Industry: Is the Triple Helix Model of Knowledge Society Replacing State Leadership Model?

The defense industry has unique features involving national sovereignty. Despite the characteristics that led to the separation of the military and civil spheres, since the 1990s, the number of dual-use projects has been growing. Taking into account that Portugal is a small European country, this paper analyzes the relationships within the defense industry in order to determine how university–industry–government relationships (the Triple Helix) function in this specific industry. The analysis of 145 projects of the Portuguese Ministry of Defense led to the following conclusions: first, academia was represented in more than 90% of the projects, and 40% of those projects have a dual-use application; second, there is a predominance of knowledge production, dissemination and application, for which the university’s institutional sphere is essential and third, the Triple Helix system evolves into a network of relationships that involve projects with both civil and military applications.

일본 사회적수산업 동향 및 정책적 시사점: 에히메현 사례를 중심으로

Currently, Fisheries Industry of Korea is facing problems with a lack of successors and an aging society. Failure to address this is highly likely to cause a future decline in the industry. In Japan, there are efforts to mitigate these problems through social fisheries. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to define the trends in and policy implications of social fisheries in Japan and to make better policies to improve the industry in Korea. To this end, the researcher examined existing literature, and as a result of the survey, selected the case of Ehime Prefecture and conducted an on-site survey. One nonprofit organization (NPO) in Ehime Prefecture acquired a trout farming company and currently uses government funding to employ disabled person. Determining that it is dangerous for those with disabilities to work at sea, the organization requires these employees to perform their duties on fish farms in inland waters. Meanwhile, there is also support from administrative agencies and local universities. For example, the local government and Ehime University established a university–industry–government linkage project for the social fisheries industry. The survey found that people with disabilities work on trout farms, which can help these workers overcome depression and have hope for a future career in fishing.

Interdisciplinary organization as a basic academic unit?

Academic interdisciplinarity has become a powerful means of addressing challenges facing contemporary society as well as offering opportunities to advance knowledge. To better understand the role of university interdisciplinary organizations (IDOs), the authors studied 18 IDOs at Stanford University in the USA. They propose that IDOs not only enhance researchers’ interdisciplinary collaboration but, counterintuitively, also serve departmental and disciplinary interests. While IDOs are traditionally believed to threaten traditional disciplinary departments, the authors find a “more the more” dynamic in which, by bringing shared university resources and faculty to bear on new themes, significant new resources are generated to the benefit of both actors. Traditionally, the relationship between departments and IDOs has been seen as a zero-sum game with winners and losers. This research suggests, to the contrary, a win–win dynamic in which the two formats are mediated by the research group. Some faculty members are alternately departmental chairs and IDO organizers as well as start-up founders, industrial consultants and holders of high governmental advisory positions during their careers, integrating Triple Helix university–industry–government interactions with IDOs and IDOs with departments. The authors examine how these two entities coexist and benefit one another in a cooperative academic ecosystem and consider the implications for the future of the university.

‘Innovation in Innovation’: A Review of Henry Etzkowitz and Chunyan Zhou, The Triple Helix: University–Industry–Government Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Second Edition)

‘Innovation in Innovation’: A Review of Henry Etzkowitz and Chunyan Zhou, The Triple Helix: University–Industry–Government Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Second Edition)

The role of NPOs and international actors in the national innovation system: A network-based approach

This paper conducts an explorative analysis of the UK's nanotechnology research collaboration network to understand the contributions of the different institutions in the development and generation of knowledge. Framed in the National Innovation System (NIS) and the Triple Helix (TH) model literature, this paper makes use of social network analysis (SNA) tools to identify the role and involvement of different institutional actors in the interactions and collaborations within the nanotechnology network. Building on the traditional university–industry–government three-helix interaction model, our paper includes two extra dimensions in the model to account for the increase in international collaboration and the increasingly important role of non-profit organizations (NPOs) in knowledge generation. In this way, our paper responds to recent calls to adapt the traditional NIS models to reflect the new realities of scientific collaboration.

A Quest for Viable Economic Model for Peshawar Pakistan- Using Etzkowitz Conceptual Framework of Triple Helix Model

The study aims to explore existing university-industry-government (U-I-G) linkages in Peshawar, Pakistan and study the factors that determine these linkages. Furthermore, the research examines the extent to which university-industry-government collaboration can address regional industrial problems and promote economic growth. Hence, the quest is to seek a viable economic model that not only enhances innovation in the region but also improves industrial competitiveness. Therefore, Etzkowitz’s Triple Helix model, based on academia-industry-government collaboration, provides the intellectual context for this research. The study uses semi-structured interviews and a narrative approach; with descriptive and analytical approaches to investigate the nature of university-industry and government linkages in Peshawar. A single case study approach is employed, where Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) at Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar (IMSciences) was selected for research purpose. This is because the centre had already initiated U-I-G linkages to some extent in Peshawar. Research findings suggest that university-industry-government linkages are too weak. The Triple Helix model, which is considered a suitable conceptual framework for regional development (Etzkowitz and Ranga, 2010) needs structural changes to make it work in a developing region like Peshawar (Dzisah and Etzkowitz, 2008). The original spiral model of innovation worked well in the developed world because that industry hosts multi-nationals that can afford industry-academia joint ventures. Their governments not only facilitated interactive networks but also designed such policies’ frameworks that supported high growth firms (HGFs) (Mason and Brown, 2013). Whereas Peshawar is not only a traditional and developing economy but also a war and crisis-ridden region, due to which it cannot attract multi-nationals headquarters. The findings of the research can be treated as an asset that can easily be reused by other developing region for knowledge transfer and economic development.