Strategic Alliances,from Contract to Organization

Abstract

The author compares recent developments in the strategy of multinationals with current changes in the way in which universities think about their activities. Universities, he argues, resemble multinational cooperations more than would appear to be the case at first glance. He then analyses the aspects of these parallel changes which promise new opportunities for university–industry relations, using an interactive model of knowledge transfer. Against the background of this analysis, he considers the experiences of Utrecht University in the context of strategic alliances and other types of public–private cooperation. In conclusion he argues that the successful exploitation of knowledge depends on new types of organization rather than the currently widespread forms of contracts and agreements.