The Two Faces of Collaboration: Impacts of University-Industry Relations on Public Research

We analyze the impact of university-industry relationships on public research. Our inductive study of university-industry collaboration in engineering suggests that basic projects are more likely to yield academically valuable knowledge than applied projects. However, applied projects show higher degrees of partner interdependence and therefore enable exploratory learning by academics, leading to new ideas and projects. This result holds especially for research-oriented academics working in the ‘sciences of the artificial’ and engaging in multiple relationships with industry. Our learning-centred interpretation qualifies the notion of entrepreneurial science as a driver of applied university-industry collaboration. We conclude with implications for science and technology policy.University industry relations; Collaborative research; Contract research; Academic consulting; Science technology links; Engineering

Erratum to: Benchmarks for ethically credible partnerships between industry and academic health centers: beyond disclosure of financial conflicts of interest.

Relationships between industry and university-based researchers have been commonplace for decades and have received notable attention concerning the conflicts of interest these relationships may harbor. While new efforts are being made to update conflict of interest policies and make industry relationships with academia more transparent, the development of broader institutional partnerships between industry and academic health centers challenges the efficacy of current policy to effectively manage these innovative partnerships. In this paper, we argue that existing strategies to reduce conflicts of interest are not sufficient to address the emerging models of industry-academic partnerships because they focus too narrowly on financial matters and are not comprehensive enough to mitigate all ethical risk. Moreover, conflict-of-interest strategies are not designed to promote best practices nor the scientific and social benefits of academic-industry collaboration. We propose a framework of principles and benchmarks for "ethically credible partnerships" between industry and academic health centers and describe how this framework may provide a practical and comprehensive approach for designing and evaluating such partnerships

Cluster-based innovation policies: a methodological approach applied to biotechnology research in Flanders.

In this paper, we apply a network methods approach to understand clustering in new technologies. Sociometric modelling techniques are used to map the technology relationships between academic as well as industry organisations in the field of transgene plants. We demonstrate how different clusters of innovative organisations can be detected and how these clusters can be related to the evolution of the new technology. Implications for technology policy are discussed.Biotechnology; Methods; Industry; Implications;

On the consequences of university patenting: What can we learn by asking directly to academic inventors?

This paper examines the consequences of university patenting by using an original source of information: The point of view of French academic inventors, i.e. French university professors who are also inventors of European patents. Via a survey we collected information about 280 French academic inventors. This enables us to put forward new insights with respect to the effect of university patenting on the diffusion of scientific research, incentives to do basic research, commercialization of university inventions and access to upstream knowledge. In particular, the study suggests a tradeoff between enabling the transfer of university inventions to industry in some sectors and delaying the dissemination of scientific research. On the one hand, most academic inventors acknowledge a lag in their publication process directly attributable to the patent application but, on the other hand, in life science disciplines a large majority of respondents who have had one of their inventions commercialized, believe that this would not have been the case had a patent not been there.University patenting, open science, intellectual property rights, technology transfer, university-industry relationships, Bayh-Dole Act.

N.C. community college/industry interactions : present status and future possibilities

The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature on college/industry relationships by examining the present status of college/industry relationships in North Carolina community colleges and offering a conceptual framework for managing those interactions. In developing the framework, several areas were studied: the literature on American College/Industry programs; the types, extensiveness, and effectiveness of college/industry relationships in the N.C.C.C.S.; and the linkage between community colleges' services and economic development. Data for the current status of college/industry relationship were supplied by surveys sent to the academic deans in the fifty-eight institutions and by interviews with six community college administrators with primary responsibility for managing college/industry relationships. The conceptual framework for managing college/industry programs includes both strategic and operational planning components. Both components are based on a sequence of planning, selecting, organizing and delivering, and evaluating services

Standards in Research and Academia: The Role of Standards in Teaching Professional Skills at the City University of New York

Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) are pairing up with academia to continue to break the barriers to standards education at the undergraduate level. In addition, SDOs are working with the research facilities of academic institutions in a public-private partnership to maintain standards technological relevancy and to find new opportunities to provide standardization to industry and government. This session provides several examples of relationships between SDOs, government, academic institutions, and SES, and describes the advances made from these relationships

Academic research in emerging knowledge-based economies : the case of Sri Lankan construction industry

Purpose Knowledge-based economies are popular in the present world. Simultaneously, universities are becoming more responsible for leading economic development through research. As a key contributor to the national economy, it is vital for the construction industry to move beyond outdated practices, and hence, reviewing the role of academic research in empowering construction industry with knowledge is essential. This paper focuses on how relevant theories conceptualise the expected role of academic research in the innovative development of an industry and the specific location in Sri Lankan construction industry. Design/methodology/approach Following a comprehensive literature review, empirical data were collected from Sri Lankan context with a mixed approach informed by a pragmatist philosophical stance. The perspective of academia and industry practitioners were deductively obtained through surveys and inductively explored through qualitative interviews. Findings This study provides evidence that academic research in Sri Lanka does not contribute effectively to innovative construction management. Due to the absence of industry-focused knowledge dissemination strategies, the academic-industry relationships are mostly non-research based. The industry lacks in research informed-decision making, leading to lesser innovations. Research limitations/implications The research conclusions are more applicable to the developing-country construction industry contexts. Practical implications The research urges the need for improved academic-industry research collaborations and strategic knowledge dissemination movements. Originality/value The research confirms academic research as a major integral part of developing construction industry in a knowledge-based economy. In establishing the expected role of academic research, the research revealed the current practice to be under-located. Hence, the research prescribes the necessary actions; research collaborations in major and subsequent requirements. Keywords – Academic research, Construction management, Innovation theories, Knowledge-based economies, Knowledge dissemination, Knowledge utilisation, Research collaboration

Engaged Scholarship: How to Improve University Engagement within Academic-Industry Relationships

Since the notion of engaged scholarship was articulated and debated (Van de Ven, 2007, McKelvey, 2006, Van De Ven and Johnson, 2006b, Van De Ven and Johnson, 2006a) it has received increased scholarly attention, informed debates questioning the role of the university in society, and how universities produce relevant knowledge for and with society. While questions are raised about how an engaged scholarship lens might meaningfully improve academic-industry relationships, less attention has focused on the characteristics of engagement that can illustrate why one form of relationship in practice is more “engaged” compared to another. The engaged scholarship lens distances itself from efforts to theorise a knowledge transfer solution to narrowing conceptualised divides between academic and industry. Using this distinction as a foundation for characterising how we might improve such relationships, this paper compares and contrasts different solutions to better explore how knowledge is disseminated within and across academic-industry boundaries. To do so we draw upon knowledge transfer literature and relationship marketing’s understanding of inter-organisational relationships. We further explore the implications this approach might have for the role of the university and its ability to produce knowledge for and with society (Gibbons et al 1994). We draw upon the activities of the newly formed Technological University of Dublin (TU Dublin) as it attempts to position itself as a truly “engaged university”. The challenges in restructuring and repositioning TU Dublin to achieve this status focuses on its support for engaged research, community engagement and widening participation activities within the context of its organisational redesign initiative (2019-2022). This paper concludes by providing insights into how we can improve meaningful engagement. The implications of a transfer solution to academic-industry relationships for redesign is compared to a solution based on engaged scholarship. How either solution draws on aspects of knowledge management is discussed. We advocate for a deeper understanding of knowledge management based on engaged scholarship principles and illustrate how it differs from a knowledge management perspective based on assumptions of transfer in a context of organisational redesign

Post-Secondary Academic Safety Programs, and the Need for a Practicum in Training.

A lack of consistency among academic safety programs has prevented aviation organizations from having a dependable pool of reliably trained and prepared safety professionals to select from. Given the challenges in preparing graduates as career ready, along with the dynamic nature of the aviation and aerospace industry, a practicum for training in postsecondary academic programs is very much needed to help meet the needs and requirements of safety program management within the aviation and aerospace industry. Interviews with safety professionals currently working within the industry were utilized to help examine the needs and requirements of the aviation and aerospace industry safety programs. This qualitative research utilized predetermined typologies and reviewed possible relationships with academic programs, career readiness, and industry requirements. Additionally, as patterns through individual observations emerged, considerations through inductive analysis were used to find any possible connections of the relevant information being reviewed

From creative practitioner to academic: navigation, transformation and identity

As universities increasingly seek to embed employability and entrepreneurial skills within their academic programmes, it could be argued that the opportunity to create organic relationships with industry through the employment of experienced practitioners is of clear benefit