University-business Cooperation Research Articles

Living labs and co-creation techniques for university-business cooperation: a case study

The paper reports about a case study about the regional role of universities, by focusing on the implementation and management of living labs to promote local tourism. The aim is to provide evidence of effective approaches to involve stakeholders in initiatives of regional development. To this aim, the stakeholder engagement activities that took place at the University of Macerata (Italy) were analysed. The conclusions highlight the usefulness of the methodologies and techniques used to facilitate university-business cooperation under the aegis of a living lab.

Universities and Wineries: Supporting Sustainable Development in Disadvantaged Rural Areas

This exploratory study focuses on the role of the university in supporting sustainable development in rural areas, focusing on small wine producers, particularly those located in remote and disadvantaged areas. Disadvantaged areas have distinctive features. Firstly, they are fragile areas from a sociodemographic point of view because of population ageing. Secondly, they are unstable from an environmental (physical, eco-systemic) point of view, as a consequence of insufficient maintenance of their seminatural capital. University–business cooperation with companies located in those areas thus needs to be designed by considering the specific characteristic of the place. Therefore, this exploratory study sought to understand how the university can work with small wineries and support them and their rural area to face inequalities and low growth, and foster social innovation. We present a case study based on field research in Italy. The results—based on the analysis of 26 semistructured interviews with small wine producers—are discussed by exploring the potential form of cooperation between rural stakeholders and universities, beyond the concept of knowledge transfer. Conclusions highlight the need for the university to act as a facilitator of dialogue at a territorial level, as a first step toward to formulation of shared sustainable goals.

Academic motivations to engage in university-business cooperation: a fuzzy set analysis

ABSTRACT For university–business cooperation (UBC) to prosper, academics must be sufficiently motivated to undertake different collaborative activities and engage with businesses in various ways. Our understanding of the motivations that underpin academic engagement has improved, yet the inherent complexity and constellations of a multitude of relevant motivations remain unexplored. This research relies on a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, informed by self-determination theory, to identify and explain the constellations of motivations that encourage extensive academic engagement with business. The configurations of motivations reflect ribbon, gold, and puzzle forms, with the novel addition of prosocial motivations. Four different constellations of motivations emerge, each of which explains academic engagement in UBC: impact, inspiration, promotion, and distinction. The resulting theoretical and managerial contributions provide foundations for further research, by clarifying motivations as jointly driving academic engagement with business and emphasising the intrinsic rather than extrinsic nature of these motivations.

Cooperation of Universities with Business in Poland and the USA – Perspective of Scientific Environment

Abstract University and business cooperation offers many benefits not only for the parties involved. It translates into innovation and competitiveness of the economy. The relationship encounters many barriers that are related to the environment (both internal and external) in which it is implemented. The aim of the article is to identify the determinants of university-business cooperation (areas of cooperation, barriers, motivations) and to point out recommendations from the perspective of scientists in Poland and the United States (USA). The experience of USA researchers can be used as a background for considerations about cooperation between universities and business in Poland, and as an example of good practices for the purpose of supporting and improving the analyzed relationships. The article focuses on selected determinants of university and business cooperation: areas of cooperation, barriers limiting it, motivations for cooperation and the possible options for its improvement (recommendations of researchers). In order to achieve the assumed goals, an individual, in-depth interview was conducted with the use of a questionnaire as the research tool. The presented results of the research showed significant differences between the models of university and business cooperation in Poland and the USA.

English

This research paper explores Italian study programs in data science in order to verify if knowledge and skills developed during the universities’ path are fit with data scientist job demand. The issue is introduced considering the companies’ growing need to derive insights from data, and consequently, to search for a staff with analytical expertise, the so-called data scientists quite rare. Literature review is focused on the data scientist’s specific characteristics. According to the ideal profile, the data scientist should possess skills enabling the scientific collection, analysis and use of quantitative data in addition to managerial and communication skills, ensuring profitable interactions with decision-makers. The methodology introduces an innovative semi-automatic linguistic analysis of textual data, which enriches traditional statistical methods in text annotation and increasingly constitutes a key step to retrieve more and more precise information from large corpora.  As results, the data scientist education in Italy is not widespread and the skills match highlights significant gaps between universities and companies in developing programming and software development skills. In conclusion, an intensive university-business cooperation in order to prepare future professionals, in line with technological trends and company requirements, could contribute to fill this gap, producing positive effects for the social and economic development.   Key words: Data scientist, business management, higher education, university, innovative skills, text mining, NooJ.

University–industry interactions in the Sultanate of Oman: Challenges and opportunities

University–industry (U–I) interactions are increasingly seen as critical components of national innovation systems and for building knowledge economies in developed and developing countries alike. Considering the Triple Helix (TH) model of innovation and the university–business cooperation framework, we report the results of a study on the current state of and barriers to U–I interactions in Oman. The study is based on a qualitative review of published higher education institute (HEI) quality audit reports and questionnaire surveys of HEIs and industry. It is suggested that Oman’s innovation system is currently based on the ‘statist’ model with some initiatives taking place to transition it towards the ‘integrated’ TH model. The results show that U–I interactions are mainly education-related, with limited emphasis on research and valorisation activities. Barriers identified include initiation and awareness constraints, limited funding, internal organisational culture and structure and industry’s limited absorptive capacity.

Institutional self-promotion: a comparative study of appraisal resources used by top- and second-tier universities in China and America

Abstract Self-promotion is a ubiquitous institutional practice of universities worldwide. It serves a variety of high-priority institutional purposes such as vying for a pre-eminent position in university league tables, recruiting students and academics, attracting governmental and private funds, and seeking university-business cooperation opportunities. Central to self-promotion is the role that language plays. Previous studies have conducted linguistic analyses to uncover universities’ promotional strategies. However, few have examined how universities appraise themselves from a cross-cultural and cross-tier perspective. Drawing on a discourse analysis approach, this study examined how 160 top- and second-tier Chinese and American universities appraised themselves in the About Us texts on their official websites. Cross-country and cross-tier comparisons were conducted by determining the frequencies of specific appraisal resources and performing a close analysis of the functions and features of these resources. The findings revealed significant cross-country and cross-tier differences in the ways the universities project and position themselves to their stakeholders. These differences are discussed against the backdrop of particular socio-cultural, socio-political, and socio-economic factors that constitute the ecologies of higher education.

University-business cooperation in Kazakhstan: influencing factors

The importance of collaboration between universities and business (UBC) continues to grow in allcountries. The reasons for this are numerous, such as changes in innovation structures, the developmentof the knowledge society, and national and international higher education policies. Kazakhstan,as a rapidly developing country, is experiencing all these changes. Nowadays, activities of universityare evolving from the basic functions of teaching and research to commercialisation of research resultswhere the partnership with the private sector is one of the most important elements. The purpose of thearticle is to identify influencing factors, driving factors and barriers for UBC, as well as recommendationsfor the future. The data for analysis was obtained using an online survey. The survey was conductedamong University employees and company employees. More than 100 respondents took part in thesurvey. The results of the survey show that the main factors influencing the cooperation of universitiesand business: sources of funding, innovative indicators of universities, the impact of funding sources oncontrol mechanisms and innovative activities of universities, also, the likely reason for the lag is the slowand still incomplete transition of Kazakhstan from the “traditional” innovation system to the modern innovationecosystem.

Determinants and significance of university-business cooperation in the regional context

Determinants and significance of university-business cooperation in the regional context

University-business cooperation: directions of interaction

The article is devoted to the analysis of promising areas of university-business cooperation (UBC) based on the study of modern Russian and foreign experience. It justifies the relevance of the broad approach to the interpretation of UBC within which it is proposed to consider cooperation between universities and business not as a set of isolated transactions within a limited range of areas of interaction, but as a system of long-term mutually beneficial relations with a wide range of possible types of cooperation that can also include the state and community organizations. The article analyzes 14 types of joint activities of universities and business within four main blocks - education, research, valorization (knowledge and technology commercialization) and management, which can serve as a basis for developing a system of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of UBC. The conclusion is made about the need to adjust the state policy in the field of science and education in order to reduce the imbalance in the development of these areas of cooperation both in Russia and in Europe.

The quadruple helix model of innovation for Industry 4.0

Orientation: The identity of the emerging next industrial revolution is clarified by means of a quadruple helix model. It is revealed how the fourth industrial revolution (FIR), also referred to as Industry 4.0, is underpinned by schemas much more than cyber-physical systems, the internet of things, digitisation and automatic identification technologies such as chips, sensors and internet protocols. Research purpose: The emotional hype surrounding the FIR and the uncertainty around its identity need clarification. The purpose was to provide balancing perspectives for understanding the primary movements, management theories and sub-revolutions underpinning the emerging FIR. Motivation for the study: The rationale of the study is to bring more clarity in a collective model of multiple complex innovation concepts. Research design, approach and method: The study design was qualitative exploration. This implied a sequential exploratory qualitative multi-method process to obtain (1) practical case narrative data (phase A) and (2) theoretical narrative data (phase B). Main findings: The primary movements underpinning the FIR are (1) triple management theory (TMT), (2) upscaling agility, (3) university-business cooperation (UBC) and triple helix (TH) ecosystem partnerships and (4) epochal society. Practical/managerial implications: The exponential organisation of the future will require agile leaders who must be geared for change and personal transformation to thrive in a time of endless innovation. This study provides management with valuable insights and clarification of the complexities of innovation into a synthesised quadruple helix model of innovation for the FIR. Contribution/value-add: The contribution of the study is also generic in terms of its contemporary value, clarifying the FIR identity and to serve as a vantage point of reference for further research.

Autonomy, competence and relatedness – the facilitators of academic engagement in education-driven university-business cooperation

ABSTRACT Notwithstanding the growing importance of university-business cooperation (UBC), our understanding of education-driven UBC remains nebulous, so does our knowledge of facilitators of academic engagement in such cooperation. This research explores psychological facilitators underlying academic engagement with business in education-driven activities such as student mobility, curriculum design and delivery. Drawing on a self-determination theory (SDT), it investigates the factors facilitating academic engagement in these activities with a specific focus given on their UBC autonomy, competence and relatedness. Based on an extensive and wide-reaching European survey, this research shows that academic autonomy does not only play an important role in teaching and research, but also in facilitating academic engagement in education driven UBC, with UBC competence and relatedness being highly relevant too. This research contributes to the literature by shedding light on education-driven UBC and by applying SDT framework of need satisfaction in this context.

The Future of University-Business Cooperation: Research and Practice Priorities

University-Business Cooperation (UBC) is an essential mechanism for advancing interests of business, universities and societies. To improve our understanding of the future of UBC research and practice, this study reports on a priority setting process comprising a two-stage research design. Qualitative research identifies a portfolio of six priority areas and 58 related topics. A quantitative step then evaluates the perceived future importance and current advancement of these topics. This approach contributes to shaping the future of UBC by identifying topics that require particular focus to maximise opportunities. The paper concludes with clear future directions for both UBC theory and practice.

University-Business Cooperation to design a transnational curriculum for energy efficiency operations

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose a methodology to support the Curriculum Design and Development (CDD) process with the aim of aligning competences provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the ones required by companies. The proposed methodology stems from the identification of companies’ training needs and aims at classifying a set of specific competences that are derived through a desk analysis of the existing academic offer. The novelty of the proposed methodology is represented by the introduction of quantitative indicators used for competences’ classification which may support decision-makers in the individuation of the expected learning objectives of the curriculum. The proposed approach has been developed and tested in the context of a European Project (TrainERGY – Training for Energy Efficient Operations) involving four European countries (Italy, Poland, UK and Greece), whose objective was the definition of a transnational curriculum oriented to qualify better practitioners involved in energy efficiency operations in SMEs.

Engagement of academics in education-driven university-business cooperation: a motivation-based perspective

ABSTRACT The importance of university-business cooperation (UBC) continues to grow. To date, however, our understanding of UBC in education is lacking, as is our knowledge of the motivations of academics. This research explores a comprehensive mix of motivations underlying education-driven UBC in the form of student mobility, curriculum design and delivery, and lifelong learning. Specifically, drawing on self-determination theory, motivations across five orientations are examined, namely monetary, career, research, educational and social. Based on an extensive and wide-reaching European survey, this research demonstrates the context-specific nature of academic motivations for UBC in education. Not only do the motivations differ from those commonly noted in relation to commercialisation, the set of motivations varies across different education-driven activities. This research offers important contributions to theory and practice, revealing that academics are motivated more strongly by intrinsic than extrinsic reasons, with only social and educational orientations emerging as significant motivations across all four activities.

Towards university-business cooperation: Key drivers, barriers and modes

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to review the international evidence on the possible modes of university-business cooperation (UBC), analyse its main drivers, and identify barriers on the path of turning academia towards practice. Research Design & Methods: This work represents a synthesis of systematic reviews, peer-reviewed reports, individual empirical journal articles, predominantly published in the last ten years. Supplementary, a case study has been applied to present the project dedicated to UBC that has been run at the University of Szczecin. Findings: The literature synthesis has revealed several crucial insights on the factors that facilitate or hinder university-business cooperation. Most of the studies highlight the importance of trustful relationships, that positively impact all cooperation activities. Moreover, all examined projects address the benefits for students and alumni of turning academia into practice. On the other hand, the review identified several barriers on the path of UBC development, focusing on connections, funding, organizational culture and internal characteristics. Contribution & Value Added: The contribution here is opening the mind concerning the possible modes of university-business cooperation, the barriers that need to be overcome and key drivers that stimulate the transfer of knowledge. The presented overview may be useful for improving educational policy, forming a higher education institutions’ strategy, and making managerial decisions in HEIs, especially in the emerging markets.

Academics coping with business logic: A study at Indonesian universities

Abstract This paper presents coping mechanisms that address competing institutional logics in University-Business Co-operation (UBC). We examined academics at two Indonesian universities and in two science fields, computer science and electrical engineering. Our findings suggest that the level of the integration of business and science logic determines their coping strategies. Academics can act as a hybrid who bridges the two worlds by “compartmentalizing” them. This study infers that inexperienced academics must “learn” in advance about the logic of business before involving themselves in collaboration with business projects.

Entrepreneurial University and Business Education: Towards a Network Model

In this study, we aim to reach a better understanding of the critical issues that affect the achievement of the University third mission. We argue that the third mission is positively linked to the first one. Renewing the teaching way and building a dynamic system of cooperation between university players means obtain positive results that integrate the proposal of an Entrepreneurial University (EU) model into a new network perspective. In order to identify its characteristics, resources and activities, we provide a literature review about the EU. We collect the more frequently shared indicators so as to define the EU model and consider new indicators, such as internships and more highly skilled students. We propose to design the EU ecosystem as a network where it is possible to identify the players involved, the activities performed and the tools used. Particularly, we refer to Italy. Within a network, interaction ways among actors are renewed, reinforced and changed. Each university could build its own network, according to its history, culture and environment. We pinpoint obstacles and incentives only exploring literature review. We do not have empirical data or case studies to support directly the feasibility and applicability of our model. Redesigning University-Business Cooperation to renew entrepreneurial learning environments. Obtaining an applicable perspective starting from the strengths of each university environments. Developing an entrepreneurial mindset inside students. Highlighting a dynamic, released, flexible approach, fit to different contexts.

Promoting university-business cooperation in developing countries: evidence from Central Asia

Successful innovation and university-business cooperation (UBC) requires the creation of platforms dedicated to the generation and exploitation of innovation and realisation of value. UBC is an accepted and expected feature of the higher education and innovation landscapes of developed countries, but has not yet become institutionalised or well understood in developing economies. This research was conducted in Central Asia (CA). The paper takes an instutional perspective based on a group of 14 case studies of the design, development and implementation of new UBC intermediary agencies. Few relevant studies have been undertaken in CA and exploring the fit between the culture of CA economies and their HEIs is an important addition to our overall understanding of UBC. Whilst care needs to be exercised in generalising findings from this context, there are useful lessons to be learned which have much wider application.

Promoting university-business cooperation in developing countries: evidence from Central Asia

Promoting university-business cooperation in developing countries: evidence from Central Asia