Abstract
The profound changes which are transforming the economies of the former Soviet Union have implications for the relationships between industry and higher education. This paper reports on a recent investigation of the interactions between the two sectors in a single Russian city. However, it is likely that the experience recorded may be of more general relevance. The authors argue that in the turbulent economic conditions prevailing in Russia (and, no doubt, in many other formerly centrally planned economies) academic institutions may play a crucial contributory role in enterprise development. This is true for the obvious (but nonetheless important) reason that academic institutions provide the necessary educational infrastructure; but it is also true, less obviously, because the creation of new enterprises depends on the establishment of effective ‘networks’, and academic institutions may play a central role in establishing such networks.
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