Bridging Academia and Industry - Successful University Partnerships
Academia and industry have bridged for two reasons: one is to gain from this partnership, sometimes repeated in more than one company, to interact and increase industry growth. Given the broad base of research that has taken place in universities and university departments, there exist a variety of researchers and graduates with extra knowledge who are happy to share their knowledge to benefit industry.
Any interaction between academia and industry does not mean they have exactly the same aim. University-industry collaborations or partnerships are flexible, varied, and can be studied from a number of perspectives. Partnerships may be characterized by the degree or depth of the relationships, and this intensity of collaboration will vary.
There exists a pressing need for more analysis and understanding of negotiations, agendas, issues, and regions involved in university and industry collaborations.
In order to glean some discussion and differences, it is useful, perhaps necessary, to delve into the processes and relationship evolutions explored in a number of successful examples. There are many literature materials about the critical success factors that lead to research degree success.
However, this research narrowed down the critical success factors to focus on university partners and what makes their collaboration a success. University-industry partnerships have seldom been studied in this way, so case studies and sectoral discussions are a good place to gather some data related to the topic.
The Importance of Collaboration between Academia and Industry
Public stakeholders have grown increasingly interested in research and innovation activities, expecting not only knowledge transfer between industry and academia, but also a transformation of fundamental knowledge into real-life applications.
In addition to more performance-oriented research, academia is tasked with generating a significant social impact. Collaboration with industry is a vital channel through which researchers can engage in the type of actions that are relevant.
Research and development serve as a thermometric indicator of the cutting edge of technology that will revolutionize industries. Topics covered may reveal trends and the emerging areas of technology that promise to enhance the competitive value of a region.
Research and development can also lead to the discovery, development, and propagation of new technologies. This leads to an increased level of knowledge that can benefit society. Because R&D activities are disseminated not only by licensing and patents, but also by scholarly publications, dissemination of new knowledge can positively affect larger groups of individuals and enterprises.
Because of the ties they create with academics, industry partners may contribute to the selection of the most relevant questions and topics to study, as well as to pilot studies and experiments.
Similarly, academic research collaboration can lead to truly innovative approaches. Talent exchange between academia and industry can also play a role, building a pipeline for the introduction of new research and development techniques and methodologies from academia into industry operations.
A close partnership between industry and academia can increase collaboration and information sharing that strengthens scientific and applied inquiry in society.
This synergy can encourage businesses to reach a broader and more diverse group of students, increasing the talent pool and offering more opportunities for students.
Technology transfer between academia and industry can also lead to external funding in the form of research and consulting contracts for universities.
A successful partnership between industry and academia might be a significant game-changer, primarily because of the influence university research activities can have on society.
University partnerships increase the return on investment for industry participants while also increasing the quantity and quality of participation.
Other factors that drive successful university partnerships include quality, cutting-edge research activities and a conducive, helpful research setting for industry initiation of R&D activities.
Public stakeholders have grown increasingly interested in research and innovation activities, expecting not only knowledge transfer between industry and academia, but also a transformation of fundamental knowledge into real-life applications.
In addition to more performance-oriented research, academia is tasked with generating a significant social impact. Collaboration with industry is a vital channel through which researchers can engage in the type of actions that are relevant.
Types of University-Industry Partnerships
Internships and cooperative education programs are forms of university-industry involvement that provide students with opportunities to receive hands-on experience in a professional environment while still learning the skills necessary for their careers.
Besides this, some partnerships may center around research where universities and private industry both put forth resources and/or personnel for experimentation and study of specific topics. These can be long-term collaborations, such as research centers or establishments on campuses, or can take the more limited form of different projects.
Last, and perhaps most common in the public's mind, are innovation or technology transfer agreements, where technology or discoveries made in the university setting are put into the hands of more profit-oriented corporate partners. These collaborations often take the form of patent licensing, joint ventures, new ventures, or equity sales.
Some types of partnerships are designed to fulfill specific workforce needs, such as internships implicitly claim to do, whereas R&D can foster training researchers or forming partnerships to solve specific R&D questions.
There are intentional educational aspects involved even in projects that are intentionally business-oriented, and some partnerships more explicitly foster educational gains, such as teaching faculty about new techniques or integrating undergraduates into the research lab setting.
Another difference has to do with the transfer of knowledge and who owns the ideas. In business curriculums, the larger partnership may be undertaken to further the career placement of students or the reputation of the program. And lastly, partnerships can be of different scales: from one agreement for one project lasting just a few months, to multiple related agreements with multiple firms, lasting many years.
Internship Programs
Internship programs are also a common form of university/industry partnerships, giving students real-world experience in a field of study. They may be credit or non-credit, paid or unpaid, part-time or full-time, based on a career field or simply on a professional work experience.
They benefit the student in a number of ways:
- They help solidify career goals and make academic learning more relevant.
- They also provide valuable experience that can help direct academic and career plans, establish professional contacts, develop job skills, and;
- Apply knowledge learned in the classroom to practical problems.
For a company or agency involved, the benefits of an internship program are many;
- They bring students with training in new technologies directly to the company, and
- Enable companies to develop the talent they need; in the areas they need it.
In addition to being an important part of developing the future of a career field, internship programs are an excellent way to recruit, evaluate, and train potential full-time employees. As such, an internship program is an investment in future workers.
Another possible benefit of providing internship opportunities to students is that it could help the profession to appear "cutting edge" and appealing to the latest generation of entrants into the workforce.
Research Collaborations
Universities, particularly those in the United States, are known for their cutting-edge research facilities and their faculty's diverse areas of expertise. Faculty and students conducting research are not tied down by the need to generate profits and often focus on health and environmental solutions.
Thus, industry has a powerful incentive to form collaborations or partnerships with universities in ways that can leverage the fervor for innovative scientific advancements and the flexibility to bring cutting-edge research into applied commercial applications.
Joint research endeavors can create innovations that break new barriers and move the research into areas that may not have been approached without new, cross-disciplinary studies. Some kind of financial support is obligatory for the success of a research collaboration.
Industry funding of university research - and a growing trend in funding research - is a direct link between academia and industry and involves a purely consultation-type agreement: no rights to materials are expected in these instances.
The funding is said to be given only as a consultancy contract with faculty who serve as advisors on continuing projects in the industry. In contrast, industry sponsorship with duration allows the sponsor to review and comment upon any publication or presentation prior to their being submitted for publication.
Academic/industrial partnerships often require the exchange of proprietary information and intellectual property, in addition to personnel and physical resources. This has triggered expansion in research activities that have implications for copyrights, patents, and licenses, as it is typical that universities consider jointly investigating proprietary interests.
In those cases, before research is started, a number of issues must be solved by all participants. Some of these involve carrying out a technological scan, applying for patent courses of action, and who is eligible to use patent protection. Industry/spawn or graduate students should also have access to any resulting intellectual resources that come out of this partnership.
Technology Transfer
A key component of university-industry partnerships is the transfer of technology. This is achieved through the processes that serve to transfer knowledge, as well as the inventions and innovations that stem from this knowledge, from universities to industry.
Technology transfer is often seen as the process through which the practical application of new functional knowledge and novel innovations are taken to the market so that general consumers can utilize them.
The process can involve creating start-up companies or licensing new technologies and products for a financial return. It is important, as the ideas and knowledge developed at universities are sought-after products, in which there may be market demand.
Researchers and inventors can work on new technologies or develop products and prototypes in close collaboration with industry. They can undertake work to protect discoveries made at the institution by obtaining patents, trademarks, copyrights, and non-disclosure agreements when necessary.
Universities can also provide mechanisms to companies through which they can access cutting-edge research or technical advice on a commercial basis. This can involve grant funding, consultancy, and testing services.
In some cases, universities manage the commercialization of new inventions by means of an in-house technology transfer office or an exclusive licensing partner. Patents provide protection for an invention for up to 20 years and allow the creator of an invention to reap the benefits from commercialization without having to rely on secrecy as the only protection.
Trademarks offer protection for branding that uniquely identifies the commercial source and origin of products or services. Copyright is automatic protection for original works of authorship, such as books and music. Non-disclosure agreements are sometimes used by inventors/professors to protect early commercial research or development activities that cannot be protected by the other forms of protection listed.
However, for this to be effective, participants and inventors must respect the confidential nature of this type of discussion. The university can support the protection of technology via these mechanisms. The business or industry partner's interests are generally dealt with at arm's length. The business may also take the lead on the commercialization of the technology and have first choice of commercialization rights even when the university has taken the lead on protecting the IPs.
Key Success Factors in University-Industry Partnerships
Despite the potentially competitive nature of these relationships, successful partnerships are characterized by a range of success factors that enable value co-creation across the boundaries of the collaborating organizations.
One of the most critical success factors, not least in innovation- or research-based partnerships like university-industry collaborations, is high-quality communication. Good communication allows the coordination of activities and resources and potentially reduces conflicts between diverse agents.
Accordingly, shared research goals are also seen as a key success factor when it comes to co-creating knowledge through university phases extended up to trusted relationships and partnerships.
The creation and existence of a university-led research center also leads to provisioning a sense of research mission in general and departmental goals in particular, thus enabling central aspects of capability development from IC.
Moreover, its evolution internalizes university-industry collaborations by providing a mechanism for integrating the ideas and goals of industry partners in the academic culture. Leadership, or the role of the champions, is another factor identified in the bridging and boundary-spanning literature as crucial for achieving successful boundary-spanning relationships.
Champions help to align diverse interests, and in so doing can overcome resistance within the organizational culture. Organizational cultures and resources which recognize and allow their members professional autonomy are also argued in many business, management, and business-education literature to function as key success factors in university-industry collaborations, especially in the area of joint or sponsored research.
Case Studies of Successful University-Industry Partnerships
Trinity University is an independent, medium-sized, church-related, primarily residential, and coeducational undergraduate university. Trinity University is dedicated to the quest for truth, the liberation of persons, the strengthening of intellectual pursuits, and the growth of a diverse and inclusive community.
Between 2014 and 2016, a number of successful partnerships and collaborations were developed with industry. While each of the collaborators brought their own interests and requirements to each project or research proposal, there were a number of common lessons that can be taken from the Trinity experience, which are shared within this section.
These observations have been grouped under the following headings:
- Ways of engaging industry
- Insider insights
- Exchange of value
- Flexibility and responsiveness
- On-boarding with tiered commitment.
The research showcased in this section shares excellent results and exemplifies the way in which connections with industry have been catalytic, resulting in excellent results and diligently contributing to Trinity’s mission.
A number of key lessons belong to these case studies, reflecting the diversity and scale of the work, which is a testament to the willingness of the scholars and colleagues to share their time with industry for better societal outcomes.
Each of the institutional collaborations is unique and has seen success because of the excellent partners engaged in their promotion and delivery.