How open is innovation research? – An empirical analysis of data sharing among innovation scholars

We investigate what fosters or inhibits data sharing behaviour in a sample of 173 innovation management researchers. Theoretically, we integrate resource-based arguments with social exchange considerations to juxtapose the trade-off between data as a proprietary resource for researchers and the benefits that reciprocity in academic relations may provide. Our empirical analysis reveals that the stronger scholars perceive the comparative advantage of non-public datasets, the lower the likelihood of data sharing. Expected communal benefits may increase the likelihood of data sharing, while negative perceptions of increased data scrutiny are consequential in inhibiting data sharing. Only institutional pressure may help to solve this conundrum; most respondents would therefore like to see journal policies that foster data sharing

Trust Formation in University–Industry Collaborations in the U.S. Biotechnology Industry: IP Policies, Shared Governance, and Champions

Haggling over rights to potential inventions can be a major roadblock to successful university–industry (UI) collaborations. Yet such collaborations are critical for innovation in science-based industries. This study examines the roles of universities\u27 intellectual property (IP) policies and of shared governance for trust formation between academe and industry. The study also examines how UI champions moderate this process and how trust between university and industry partners affects UI collaboration outcomes. The analysis of survey data of 105 recent UI collaborations in the U.S. biotechnology industry indicates that the flexibility and transparency of university IP policies and shared governance by UI partners are both positively related to trust formation. The activities of UI champions amplify the positive effects of shared governance and at the same time reduce the importance of university IP policies for trust formation between UI partners. The amount of trust between partners is positively related to knowledge transfer and innovation performance. The findings suggest that despite widely reported industry concerns over the control of IP, UI research partners can develop a trustful environment and thereby plant the seeds for a successful collaboration. In order to enhance trust, companies should not only consider university IP policies, but also need to actively engage in shared governance with university partners. UI collaboration champions can help shift the attention of company managers from formal rules set by university IP policies toward shared project planning, coordination, and implementation with university partners

The changing bases of mutual trust formation in inter-organizational relationships: A dyadic study of university-industry research collaborations

We examine how trust in inter-organizational relationships develops over time. Specifically, we study the moderating effect of relationship maturity with various trust bases in the context of university-industry (UI) research collaborations. Examining trust formation with dyadic data allows us to take into account that partners\u27 perceptions of relationship factors are not independent of each other\u27s actions. We adopt the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) for the analysis of data on 98 matched pairs of recent UI research collaborations and find that relationship maturity moderates the associations of reciprocal communication and decision process similarity with trust. The results further indicate that mutual trust formation is also influenced by the other partners\u27 perceptions of relationship factors. The findings suggest UI research partners can develop and maintain a trustful collaboration through reciprocal communication and, in the long term, by converging towards similar decision making processes