Business Expectations and University Interactions

Abstract

It is widely accepted that university-firm alliances are helpful in moving new technologies, knowledge, and know-how to the market but that these research collaborations are difficult to establish and maintain. Formidable barriers, that act to thwart the use of university-based science and technology for industrial innovation, are believed to exist. Understanding and overcoming these obstacles is on the agenda of university administrators, researchers, the business community, and the government. Drawing on data gathered through site visits and personal interviews, this paper explores, from the perspective of business firms, how they perceive their interactions with universities. In particular, it explores how companies define ‘successful’ university-firm research relationships, what barriers to university-partnering firms report, and what the costs and the benefits are of engaging in university collaborations. Finally, a typology of four firm types will be suggested. Each of these four firm types has different expectations of universities.