University-industry Relationships Research Articles

Perspectives in Public and University Sector Co-operation in the Change of Higher Education Model in Hungary, in Light of China’s Experience

The model shift of higher education in Hungary brought not only the deepening of university-industry relations and technology transfer processes, but also contribute the emerging role of universities in shaping regional innovation policy. This process provides a new framework for cooperation between actors in regional innovation ecosystems and raises the relationship between economic-governmental-academic systems to a new level. Active involvement of government, the predominance of state resources, and the strong innovation-organizing power of higher education institutions are similarities that characterize both the Hungarian and Chinese innovation systems. This paper attempts to gather Chinese good practices whose adaptation can contribute to successful public-university collaboration. In the light of the examined practices, the processes related to the university model shift implemented so far can be placed in a new context, which are presented through the example of the Sz\'echenyi Istv\'an University of Gy\H{o}r.

Participatory Research Engages Industry and Leads to Adoption of Methods That Challenge Long-Held Production Standards

A citizen science project engaged wine industry professionals in challenging the long-held belief that low yields are required for production of high-quality wine. Strategies emerged for the planning and implementation of projects involving industry members as citizen scientists. Keys to success included factors related to industry inclusion, planning, coordination, and communication. Direct industry involvement in the research project strengthened industry–university relationships and led to the adoption of new production practices that had been difficult to bring about prior to facilitation of industry members' firsthand experimentation.

The interconnections of academic research and universities’ “third mission”: Evidence from the UK

A considerable body of work acknowledges the importance and benefits of the university–industry relationship for the economy and society, but also for increasing the revenue of universities themselves (known also as universities’ “third mission”). However, questions have also been raised about the consequences of the university-industry relationship and its impact on their traditional role. This paper contributes to this debate by exploring whether and how being efficient in generating income from engagement activities impacts on universities’ research performance. By using a sample of 119 UK higher educational institutions for period 2007–2014, and controlling for endogeneity issue, the results show that efficiency in terms of university-industry income and research performance exhibits a nonlinear relationship for both universities established before (“old universities”), and after (“new universities”), the Higher Education Act 1992 (HEA). However, for high level of efficiency, “old universities” do not appear able to improve their research performance further. Finally, positive synergies between the third mission and research mission decline in a more teaching-oriented environment. We conclude that policy makers should account for organisational heterogeneity and teaching orientation to promote research excellence effectively by stimulating engagement.

New perspectives on university-industry relations: an analysis of the knowledge flow within two sectors and two countries

ABSTRACTUniversity–industry relations (UIR) are usually analysed by the knowledge transfer channels, but existing studies have failed to address what knowledge content is being transferred – impacting the technology output aimed by the partnership. We aim to identify the Knowledge Flow in UIR, defined by the actor responsible for initiating a partnership – direction of the flow – and the type of technology output being transferred – content of the flow. We compare the knowledge flow in innovation systems of agriculture and aerospace sectors in Brazil and the Netherlands. The cases show that the knowledge flow is influenced more by the maturity of the national and sectoral innovation system than by the technological trajectory of the sector itself. While the Dutch cases demonstrate that both sectors are part of a mature innovation system, the Brazilian cases, although expected to have a similar technological trajectory, demonstrated a more immature innovation system.

Challenges in developing university-industry relationship: Quantitative evidence from higher education institutions in the UAE

Background and objective: The lack of human and intellectual resources and capital has affected the survival of different industries and organizations in this globally competitive world. Universities have failed to provide necessary human resources to these organizations. The coordination between industries and universities is not optimal. Such challenges are being faced in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); therefore, there is a need to investigate the reasons behind these challenges to develop an ideal university-industry relationship in UAE. The present study aims to evaluate the missing links in the relationships between universities and industries of UAE. Methods: A quantitative research design has been used to recruit 100 department heads and senior professors from 20 public and private universities in the UAE. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis and factor analysis have been used to analyze the data collected through SPSS v.20. Results: The results have shown a significant and positive impact of intellectual property (IP) policies (p = 0.045) and scientific knowledge (p = 0.023) on knowledge transfer; IP policies (p = 0.067), shared governance (p = 0.018) and scientific knowledge (p = 0.017) on trust; IP policies (p = 0.069), shared governance (p = 0.034) and scientific knowledge (p = 0.018) on innovation performance. Conclusion: The findings have suggested that the role of interorganizational governance mechanisms is important in university industry collaborations to increase trust, innovation, and shared governance.

Challenges in developing university–industry relationship: quantitative evidence from higher education institutions in the UAE

Background and objective: The lack of human and intellectual resources and capital has affected the survival of different industries and organizations in this globally competitive world. Universities have failed to provide necessary human resources to these organizations. The coordination between industries and universities is not optimal. Such challenges are being faced in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); therefore, there is a need to investigate the reasons behind these challenges to develop an ideal university-industry relationship in UAE. The present study aims to evaluate the missing links in the relationships between universities and industries of UAE. Methods: A quantitative research design has been used to recruit 100 department heads and senior professors from 20 public and private universities in the UAE. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis and factor analysis have been used to analyze the data collected through SPSS v.20. Results: The results have shown a significant and positive impact of intellectual property (IP) policies (p=0.045) and scientific knowledge (p=0.023) on knowledge transfer; IP policies (p=0.067), shared governance (p=0.018) and scientific knowledge (p=0.017) on trust; IP policies (p=0.069), shared governance (p=0.034) and scientific knowledge (p=0.018) on innovation performance. Conclusion: The findings have suggested that the role of interorganizational governance mechanisms is important in university industry collaborations to increase trust, innovation, and shared governance.

Balancing learning and knowledge protection in university-industry collaborations

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the tension between learning and protection in university-industry relationships (UIRs) and, in particular, to identify practices that facilitate ways of coping with this tension.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical work for the study is based on a qualitative comparative case analysis of six successful, long-term relationships between industrial technology firms and university research groups in Finland.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal that the development of mutual trust, based on personal-level relationships, adaptation and reaching a consensus about the utilization of research results represent the key processes that enable partners to balance learning and protection and lower the informational barriers within the collaboration.Research limitations/implicationsThe case data have been collected from IT industry, in which the need for knowledge is changing rapidly and the need for learning is typically high. However, generalization of the results may need additional case studies including from other industrial areas.Practical implicationsThe results highlight a rich set of practices that can support both industrial actors and academics in improving their engagement in collaboration and to facilitate successful knowledge creation and utilization in UIRs.Originality/valueThis study extends the existing literature on UIR learning by presenting organizational practices, which help UIR actors to balance learning and protection in their collaboration. Along with mutual trust and adaptation achieved in long-term personal relationships, these practices allow partners to overcome organizational barriers that result from different orientations, attitudes and incentives.

The dynamics of university-industry-government relationships in Nanoscience: investigating the Triple-Helix differences between Iran and Switzerland

ABSTRACTThis study aims to find the differences between national and international relationships in Iran and Switzerland’s Nanoscience research between 2008–2015. The results show significant differences some of which are attributed to the general dichotomy of developed-developing countries like stronger University-Industry-Government relations in Switzerland; but others are not, especially those pertaining to bilateral relations. In summary, the Government-Industry relations in Switzerland are generally closer in this field because the emerging characteristics of Nanoscience call for more state intervention, even in the context of developed countries. Greater Government-University relations in Iran can be explained by referring to the structure of national innovation system of this country. However, the no significant differences between University-Industry relations result needs further research so that it may in turn lead to improvements of the triple-helix calculations. Lastly, some theoretical implications and further research directions are suggested at the end.

The role of ORIC in the evolution of the triple helix culture of innovation: The case of Pakistan

This study examines the scope of interactions among Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) established universities, linked firms and government. A special emphasis is placed on investigating the challenges faced by the ORIC and linked firms apropos of the interactions. In order to understand and analyze the university industry and government (UIG) relationship, triple Helix Model is used as framework of understanding these interactions. The qualitative research method was adopted through twenty two semi-structured interviews; fourteen from universities and eight from linked firms. Additionally, focused group technique was used to make recommendations to improve interactions among university, industry and government in order to develop innovation culture in Pakistan. This study contributes to our understanding of the current scope of Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) in the evolution of the Triple Helix culture of innovation.

Science and industry evolution: evidence from the first 50 years of the German laser industry

Industry evolution is driven by innovation. Scientific research is an important source of innovation-relevant knowledge. To trace its impact on industry evolution, we follow the entry and exit of firms from various backgrounds over the first five decades of the German laser industry. We find that academic startups became increasingly competitive after substantial changes were introduced to the governance of university-industry relationships. Their enhanced performance helps explain why no shakeout in firm numbers has been observed to date. Doctorate-holding inventors contributed to the performance of entrants, indicating that the impact of scientific knowledge on industry evolution goes beyond academic entrepreneurship.

Preconditions for Successful Knowledge Creation in the Context of Academic Innovation Projects

This paper assumes that the key to understanding successes and failures in knowledge creation (KC) by academic innovation teams in a scenario of university–industry relations is to identify and evaluate preconditions, needed for efforts to flourish. We examine the synergistic intervention of individual competence, information literacy, innovation culture and communication in academic project team work while KC occurs, resulting in technological innovation. Our in-depth research with 20 university project teams has led us to a more differentiated picture of KC in academic innovation projects. The qualitative technique of categorical content analysis was used. As the main contributions, we present in a four-dimensional perspective the resulting relationships between the knowledge created by the teams and the critical factors that influence its creation. Moreover, deriving from these relations, six patterns of behaviour were found in the study.

Researcher, I have heard of your innovation. Will you marry me?

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the determinants of firms’ attitudes to R&D cooperation with universities with the goal to propose a model of knowledge transfer university-firm.Design/methodology/approachBy understanding university-industry cooperation as a process, the model in this study is based on two factors: the “promoter of university-industry relations” (PUIR) and a technological system that is able to match the research supply of universities with the demand for innovation of the firms. A total of 375 firms, 420 research groups and 18 experts in knowledge transfer from Spain, Portugal and France have been involved in this study.FindingsThis study provides the first evidences of the relation between the number of matches’ demand-supply of research, the number of university-firm relations and the willingness to cooperate; all of these presented in the knowledge transfer model. Results also reinforce the utility of the role of PUIR and the matching system in the open innovation process.Research limitations/implicationsHowever, more evidences are necessary to get a complete validation of the model. In the future, the continuous utilization of the matching system by the PUIRs of the selected regions will allow the authors to evaluate how well the system is working by analysing the possible increases in formal collaboration university-firm in the area of R&D.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature through aligning the open innovation and intellectual capital theories in the specific and complex context of university-firm collaboration. Also, little research regarding this topic has been noticed in SUDOE European Union (EU) countries (SUDOE is an EU territorial cooperation programme that supports regional development by funding transnational projects).

R&D networks in high technology applied to cultural goods in Tuscany. A social network analysis

Purpose of the paper : The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship dynamics of innovation networks in the business of High Technology applied to Cultural Goods (HTCG) in Tuscany, in order to analyze the relevance of the actors’ position and their centrality in the networks. The study contributes to the wide research strand on the importance of network competences and relational capabilities for innovation. Methodology : Social Network Analysis is applied to 42 R&D projects developed by local actors in Tuscany along fifteen years, funded at regional, national and international levels. Findings : The results show that the business of HTCG is a complex business, where inter-organizational relationships are developed among Triple Helix actors in public-private partnerships and industry-university relationships. Research limits : The research adopts a quantitative approach to the study of relationship dynamics in innovation networks and uses the Social Network Analysis. In this context, the analysis of temporary R&D projects is restricted to the results concerning the dynamics of temporary networks and exclusively for formal collaborations. In addition, the research would benefit from some in-depth interviews in order to investigate how and why actors develop relationships and with whom. Practical implications : It is therefore necessary to underline the importance for managers of relational competences for innovation and the relevance of resources and competences also outside the firm’s boundaries, in particular in a complex business like HTCG. Originality of the paper : The work is a preliminary, but original study on HTCG and it depicts several figures on network dynamics in this newly emerging business.

The Role of Proximity Dimensions in Facilitating University-Industry Collaboration in Peripheral Regions: Insights from a Comparative Case Study in Northern Norway

It is commonly argued in the literature on regional innovation that regions must continuously develop new economic activities to compensate for economic decline. If a region manages to diversify from an existing path, it can sustain long-term economic development. One of the measures taken to increase these types of opportunities and to avoid lock-in is to stimulate a closer relationship and collaboration between universities and industry partners. However, we know little about the formation and investigation of successful university-industry relationships in regions outside metropolitan areas. This paper seeks to fill this research gap by investigating how different dimensions of cognitive, organizational, social and geographical proximity facilitate or hinder innovation processes in collaborations between industry and universities in peripheral regions. We find that social proximity, combined with high organizational proximity, overcomes the barriers presented by low geographical proximity. Social proximity compensates for thin regional structures with few high-tech firms, a lack of knowledge producers and a weak support system. An important policy implication is that stimulating collaboration within areas of expertise possessed by university and industry partners create potential for innovation.

Knowledge transfer exchange and dynamic Guanxi in Chinese universities

This paper investigates the relevance of guanxi (???as a cultural factor in Knowledge Transfer Exchange (KTE) in the Chinese University-Industry relationship context. Adopting a qualitative case-study approach, with data from fieldwork fifty interviews this work brings fresh view on the role of social networks as a cultural value in universities’ researchers engagement in KTE activities. In addition, this paper breaks the traditional linear view toward guanxi . Instead, it adopts a dynamic, dialectical, and holistic perspective towards the role of guanxi in KTE processes in the context of Chinese universities. Furthermore, it has been found that during the KTE process, guanxi networks should be balanced with the appropriate infrastructure, qualified staffs, and financial investment to obtain successful outcomes. This study enriches the existing literature on the determinants which affect KTE researcher engagement by highlighting the role of guanxi as a cultural factor.

From “transplant with the soil” toward the establishment of the innovation ecosystem: A case study of a leading high-tech company in China

Restricted by several institutional and structural constraints, the commercialization of university-based technology is inefficient in China. The present exploratory case study focused on Nuctech, a university spin-off high-tech company.The researchers observed, studied and analyzed the processes of the Nuctech's business development of the company, the process of the university-based technology transfer, and the establishment of Nuctech's innovation ecosystem. Our study fills in current research gaps by analyzing the “transplant with the soil”(TPS) mechanism in a systematical approach. We summarized the key features, the antecedents, and consequences of TPS mechanism, as well as its roles in transferring university-based technology and establishing a company's innovation ecosystem.By studying the case in the China context, the present research suggests that TPS mechanism may be particularly relevant and necessary when advanced cross- disciplinary complex technology need to be transferred, when the industry have only limited resources and poor absorptive capacities, when institutional and structural hindrances exist, and when university-industry relationship needs to be facilitated and strengthened toward the establishment of an innovation ecosystem.

University–industry relationships in developing countries: Opportunities and challenges in Algeria, Indonesia, Malaysia and India

Abstract This article is aimed at investigating the various opportunities as well as the challenges faced by National Systems of Higher Education in aligning themselves with the requirement of National and Regional Innovation Systems in developing countries. It achieves this by comparing various practices of university–industry relationship across four different countries, investigating the links of these universities with regional and/or national systems of innovation and their position within the three-stage evolutionary process (statist, laissez-faire and hybrid) of the Triple Helix system. The article argues that a healthy balance of diverse types of higher education institutions (HEIs) across regional and national levels in a country might be necessary for better national innovation performance.

The university-industry relationship under diferent approaches: the entrepreneurial university to academic capitalism

The economic and political changes in the world, from the 1970s, changed the political education of the Public Institutions of Higher Education in the world. The direction of these changes was clear: the university approachedthe market and the company and created interaction mechanisms that did not exist. The article therefore reviews the academic literature that interprets the relationship between university and market/company from two perspectives: approaches that positively position of interactions, exposing their motivations, interests and forms of interaction, especially the notions on Knowledge Economy and Entrepreneurial University; approaches that observe this interaction critically and reflectively, exposing the problems of interaction, its negative aspects and the reflection of the true role of the public university from the perspective of Academic Capitalism.

Factors affecting the diffusion and success of collaborative interactions between university and industry

Purpose This paper aims to investigate factors and weaknesses influencing university–industry interactions diffusion and success by focusing on the research services initiatives because there are limited studies in literature focusing on this specific form of interaction between the two actors. Design/methodology/approach The authors carried an explorative research based on multiple case studies referring to research services experienced between two big Italian universities and small and medium-sized enterprises located in the same area. Findings By conducting a cross-case analysis, the authors highlight categories of data in terms of factors influencing interactions’ diffusion and success, as perceived by researchers and by firms; and weaknesses in the interactions process to identify suggestions for improving interactions’ diffusion and success, from researchers and firms. Practical implications The outcomes provide managerial implications useful for agencies supporting the diffusion of innovation among firms and firms’ systems for defining new policies and action plans aimed at making the university–industry interactions faster and more effective, improving the innovation processes within firms. Originality/value This paper gives new insight in the analysis of factors enhancing university–industry relationships with a focus on research services collaborations and focusing both on university and industry, where large contributions focus predominantly on both groups.

The wisdom of the intermediary: the role, function, and ways-of-being of the intermediary in a strategic program for university-industry relations

This paper is an inquiry into the human factor in intermediation. We argue that we have not yet fully grasped the different roles, functions, and ways-of-being of the intermediary and that the concept of first- and second-order “wisdom” is helpful in understanding what it takes to succeed as an intermediary. Through a comprehensive inquiry into human intermediaries in a corporate strategic program for university-industry collaboration in a global company, we develop a typology based on three fundamental roles: the “Power Promoter,” the Diplomat, and the Creative Integrator. On this basis, we argue that the wisdom of the intermediary involves mastering the different roles (first-order wisdom) and deciding between them in each individual situation of intermediation (second-order wisdom). As a result, we advance Hargadon and Sutton’s initial insight into the human factor in intermediation, thereby further humanizing the research on intermediation.