Universities‐industry collaboration strategies: a micro‐level perspective

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the collaboration strategies employed by collaborating small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and university researchers for initiating and optimizing the process and outcome of R&D collaboration. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based upon a qualitative study of the total population of university departments and SMEs involved in collaborative research projects sponsored by a new governmental programme in Denmark, the aim of which was to build new R&D alliances between industry and universities. Findings -The findings show how partners choose to pursue difference short-or long-term strategies to optimize the process and outcome of university-industry (UI) collaboration. Some collaborations were thus informed by a short-term strategy aimed at achieving immediate R&D results. However, to a high extent, many SME partners relied upon a long-term strategy aiming at developing UI relations beyond the immediate project and practical learning. A variety of shifting strategies shape researchers' decisions during UI collaborations, which thus convey different notions of success.Research limitations/implications -The findings of the present research point to the importance of taking the diverse reasons and micro strategies informing collaborative efforts into account when studying UI collaborations. Practical implications -Different strategies may prove successful in optimizing the outcome of UI collaborations depending upon, e.g. partners' previous collaborative experiences. Policies should incorporate some openness towards the differential premises and reasons for UI collaboration. Originality/value -Relatively little research has addressed the development of UI relationships from the micro-level perspective of the discretionary decisions and strategies of collaborating researchers.

How Barriers to Collaboration Prevent Progress in Demand for Knowledge: A Dyadic Study of Small and Medium‐Sized Firms, Research and Technology Organizations and Universities

“…Hence, university–industry collaborations and their impact on innovation processes and performance have been a long‐standing perspective in various scholarly communities within management studies (Perkmann & Walsh, ). University–industry links cover a plethora of channels relevant to research and development (Bjerregaard, ). Baba, Shichijo and Sedita (, p. 763) stress that ‘official channels’ like patent licenses play a limited role in the university–industry linkages (resting on findings from Cohen et al., ), whereas ‘open channels’ including academic paper publication, consulting and scientific advising have a much stronger role for successful knowledge transfer.…”

Análisis de mecanismos de relacionamiento entre el estado, la empresa y la universidad en Colombia

“…A este momento se le ha denominado Contacto Inicial de Actores, el cual tiene en cuenta las motivaciones de los implicados para la generación de la relación. De acuerdo con Bjerregaard (2009), las razones se pueden clasificar tanto desde la perspectiva del investigador como desde las empresas. Para el primero, la motivación se relaciona con la oportunidad de llevar los productos resultado de investigación y desarrollo a la industria en el sentido de poder hacer pruebas con el fin de complementar y dar rigurosidad a los análisis, lo cual le puede dar un mayor grado de reconocimiento científico.…”

“…De acuerdo con Bjerregaard (2009), desde el nivel micro, las fases dos y tres por las cuales transita la relación universidad -entorno o Estado -empresa -universidad son: Fase asociada con la ejecución de la relación y fase de proyección de posibles futuros vínculos. A continuación se presentan en forma sintética los aspectos que se contemplan en cada una de las fases, teniendo en cuenta que en la primera fase (generación de la relación) se encuentra la propuesta de esquema de análisis de mecanismos de relacionamiento para la materialización del vínculo y es en esta donde se enfoca el segmento final de la presente investigación dado que el análisis de las fases dos y tres se contempla dentro de una etapa vinculada a un proceso de formación académica superior.…”

Research grants, sources of ideas and the effects on academic research

“…Perkman et al (2011) find support for that idea showing that departments with excellent researchers in physical and engineering sciences receive more income from SMEs indicating that excellence and collaboration with SMEs is positively correlated. Moreover, a qualitative study by Bjerregaard (2009) on university-industry collaborations of nine Danish universities and 19 SMEs suggests that collaboration strategies of SMEs differ from those of large firms in terms of the time-horizon of expected results. In particular, he finds that while some collaborations followed a short-term strategy aimed at achieving immediate R&D results, SME partners relied upon a long-term strategy.…”