University-industry relationships

Lead Investigator : Kathryn Walsh

Project Investigator: Markus Perkman, Neil Burns and Chris Backhouse

Timescales: Jan 06 - Jan 09

Project Outline:

Links between universities and industgry are considered important for stimulating innovation within the wider economy.  Much emphasis has been on the commercialisation of universities' intellectual property, as for instance licensing of university patents or establishing spin-off companies.  While these mechanisms are relevant, there are a range of other links between universities and industry that play an important role.  They include collaborative university-industry research centres, contract research, academic consulting and networks bringing together university researches and industry scientists or managers.

These relationships have in common that they are 'interaction-intensive'.  This means they involve ongoing social interaction and collaboration between individuals and teams drawn from both contexts.  Therefore, they can be seen as facilitating the 'co-production' of knowledge, as opposed to mere knowledge 'transfer'.  While patenting and licencing activities have been extensively studied, we know less about the presence and relevance of such 'co-production' links in the UK context.  The fact that many of these activities are to a large degree funded by government provides another good reason for closer scrutiny.

The project undertakes a detailed exploration of interaction-intensive university-industry relationships and their role in industrial innovation.  This includes analyses of: (a) the role of contract research and consulting by academics, and (b) different types of collaborative university-industry research.  Acknowledging the role of national institutions, the UK experiences will be compared with practices and results achieved in other countries.

The research is expected to answer important questions on the working relationships between universities and industry.  Importantly, given that in the context of 'open innovation' companies more and more rely on external sources of knowledge, the question is what role universities can realistically play in this scenario.  The research will help clarify the contributions different types of university-links can make to different types of companies, different stages of the innovation process and different positions in the value chain.  It will also identify the opportunities and challenges inherent in bringing together academics and industry to work together in physical locations and dispersed networks.  The project will thereby contribute to our knowledge about university-industry relationships and inform policy practice.

Proposed Methods: 

Key Messages from Our Research so far…

Our evidence suggests that most academics collaborate with industry in order to advance their own research, rather than pursuing the 'commercialisation' of research results.  This qualifies the validity of the often championed model of the university as a supplier of ready-made technologies that need to be pushed ou to the marketplace.  Importantly, collaborating with industry allows academics particularly in more applied disciplines, such as engineering, to improve and validate their research.

Our evidence also shows that by working with academic researchers, industry often benefits from academics' problem solving and advisory skills.  'Technology transfer' therefore acquires a new meaning:  Rather than transferring patented inventions, the real vaue of academic involvement in industry often lies in bringing to bear specialised expertise on ongoing innovation projects.  Policy should therefore focus less on promoting patenting, licensing and spin-off companies to include a broader spectrum of collaborative relationships.

 Future Plans

Future research will exp

lore the way collaborative university-industry relationships are set up and managed.  We will also carry out a large-scale survey among UK academic researchers to assess the different ways in which they work with industry.

Member Profile

Markus Perkmann is Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM) in the Wolfson School at Loughborough University, UK.  His current research is on university-industry relationships, technology transfer and the role of academic knowledge for innnovation processes.  He has also published on institutional entrepreneurship, regional development, globalization, local cross-border co-operation and social theory.  He holds a PhD from Lancaster University.  For more  information, go to his website: http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~mmmp3

Kathryn Walsh is Senior Research Fellow and Director of Business Partnerships at Loughborough University.  Having previously pursued a career in industrial R&D, her current research work is on university-industry relationships and technology acquisition processes.  She holds a PhD from King's College, University of London.

Links to other researchers

News and upcoming events

Outputs:

Journal Contributions – Refereed 

• Perkmann, M and Walsh, K (2008): 'Engaging the scholar: Three types of academic consulting and their impact on universities and indusrty', Research Policy, Vol:37, Pages: 1884-1891. Click for publication
  
• Perkmann M ans Walsh,K (forthcoming): 'The two faces of collaboration: impacts of university-industry relations on pulic research', Industrial and Corporate Change
  

   

•  Perkmann M and Walsh, K (2007): ‘Relationship-based university-industry links and open innovation: towards a research agenda’ (with K Walsh). International Journal of Management Reviews.
• Perkmann, M and Walsh, K (forthcoming 2007): ‘How firms source knowledge from universities: partnering versus contracting' (with K Walsh). In: J. Bessant and T. Venables (eds): Creating wealth from knowledge: meeting the innovation challenge. Edward Elgar: Cheltenham.
• Perkmann, M. and Walsh, K. 2007 ‘Relationship-based university-industry links and open innovation: towards a research agenda’. International Journal of Management Reviews 9(4): 259-280.

Conference Contributions – Refereed 

• Perkmann, M and Walsh, K. 2008, 'Managing the trade-off between revealing and appropriating in drug discovery: the role of trusted intermediaries', User and Open Innovation Workshop, 4-7 August, Harvard Business School, Boston
• Perkmann, M. King Z. and Pavelin S. 2008, 'Picking yo0ur partners: effects of faculty quality on university-industry relationships', European Group of Organisation Studies (EGOS), 10-12 July, Amsterdam
• Perkmann M., King Z. amd Pavelin S., 2008, 'Industry relationships at UK universities: determinants of engagement in collaborative research, contract research and consulting',DRUID Annual Conference 17-20 May, Copenhagen
• Perkmann, M. 2008, 'Intellectual arbitage across institutional boundaries: effects on innovation', Seminar at Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester University Business School, 18 February 2008
  

   

• Perkmann,M. and Walsh, K. ‘Engaging the scholar: three types of academicconsulting and their impact on universities and industry’. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, 3-8 August 2007.

• Perkmann, M. and Walsh, K. ‘Simply knowledge transfer? Logics of collaboration in university-industry relations’. EGOS Colloquium, Vienna, 5-7 July 2007.

• D’Este, P and Perkmann, M: ‘Why do academics collaborate with industry? A study of the relationship between motivations and channels of interaction’. DRUID Summer Conference, Copenhagen, 18-20 June 2007. (nominated for best paper award).

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  Perkmann, M. and Walsh, K. ‘Sourcing knowledge from universities’, EURAM Annual Conference, Paris, 16-19 May 2007.

• Morton, S. C. & R. Michaelides (2007). “Evaluating the Impact of Web 2.0 Technologies on Continuous Innovation Networks”. Proceedings of the 8th International CINet Conference: Continuous Innovation – Opportunities and Challenges, September 7-11, Gothenburg, Sweden, restricted access: http://www.continuous-innovation.net/Events/CINet2007/papers.html.

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  Morton, S. C., Burns, N. D. & R. Michaelides (2008). “NOVEL routes to performance improvement in lean organizations: Networking and the Organizational Value of External Linkages”. Proceedings of 18th Annual Conference of POMS, May 9 - 12, La Jolla, California, paper 008 – 0306, pp. 17.

• Morton, S. C., Burns, N. D. & R. Michaelides (2008). “OPEN innovation in operation: Organizational Performance and Engineering Networks”. Proceedings of the Third World Conference on POM, Manufacturing Fundamentals: Necessity & Efficiency”, August 5 – 8, Tokyo, Japan, CD Chapter 5: Supply Chain Management, pages 888-895, ISBN978-488361-646-6.

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  Morton, S. C. & R. Michaelides (2008). “VOTE for Performance Improvement: Virtual Organizational Teams and E-collaboration”. Proceedings of the Third World Conference on POM, Manufacturing Fundamentals: Necessity & Efficiency”, August 5 – 8, Tokyo, Japan, CD Chapter 9: Information Systems and E-Operations, pages 1648-1657, ISBN978-488361-646-6.

• Michaelides, R. & S. C. Morton (2008). “Managing Innovation through Virtual Global Communities: Challenges and Benefits”. Proceedings of the 4^th IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation and Technology, September 21 – 24, Bangkok, Thailand, paper P-0245, pp. 6.

• Morton, S. C., Burns, N. D., Dainty, A. R. J. and Brookes, N. J. (2006). “SIGN for better performance: Strategy to Improve Global Networking within and between organisations”. Proceedings of 17th Annual Conference of POMS, April 28 – May 1, 2006, Boston, USA, paper 004 – 0426, pp. 13.

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  Backhouse, C.J. Agility for 21st Century Entrepreneurs for Optimum Competitiveness and Profitability, International Conference on Total Engineering, Analysis & Manufacturing Technologies, Indian Institute of Science  Bangalore, India, 22 - 24 September 2008

• Backhouse, C.J. Managing Creative People to Generate a Performance Culture, International Conference on Total Engineering, Analysis & Manufacturing Technologies, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, India, 22 - 24 September 2008

• Morton, S.C., Burns, N.D. and Dainty, A.R.J., ''Beyond Lean: Overcoming Resistance to Innovation to Improve Productivity'', Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of POMS, Dallas, USA, May 2007, Paper 007-0149.

• Perkmann, M. 2008: Intellectual arbitrage across institutional domains. Academy of Management Annual Meeting. Anaheim, 8-13 August.

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  Perkmann, M. and Walsh, K. 2008: Managing the trade-off between revealing and appropriating in drug discovery: the role of trusted intermediaries. User and Open Innovation Workshop, 4-7 August, Harvard Business School, Boston.

• Perkmann, M, King, Z. and Pavelin, S. 2008: Picking your partners: the effect of faculty quality on university-industry relationships. European Group of Organization Studies (EGOS), 10-12 July, Amsterdam.

• Perkmann, M, King, Z. and Pavelin, S. 2008: Industry relationships at UK universities: determinants of engagement in collaborative research, contract research and consulting. DRUID Annual Conference 17-20, Copenhagen.

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  Perkmann, M and Walsh, K 2007: ‘Engaging the Scholar: Three types of academic consulting and their impact on universities and industry’. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, 3-8 August.

• Perkmann, M and Walsh, K 2007 ‘Below the waterline: university participation in industrial innovation’, EGOS Colloquium, Vienna, 5-7 July.

• D’Este, P and Perkmann, M 2007 ‘Why do academics work with industry?’ Danish Research Unit for Industrial Dynamics (DRUID) Summer Conference, Copenhagen, 18-20 June.

• Perkmann, M and Walsh, K 2007 ‘Sourcing knowledge from universities’, EURAM Annual Conference, Paris, 16-19 May.

• Pharaon A, Developing an Innovation Culture, Network for Management and Technology Integration, First Prize, Integr8or Doctoral Conference University of Nottingham 21^st and 22^nd of June 2007.

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  Pharaon  A,  IPGC research to develop and international culture of innovation,  East Midlands Regional Runner Up Shine, British Council Education  2007. 

   

   

• Organizer of one-day AIM workshop ‘Exploring and mapping university-industry relationships’ (with A Salter, P d’Este), Tanaka Business School

• Chair of Symposium at Academy of Management Annual Meeting, 3-8 August, Philadelphia: ‘How firms search, appropriate and use knowledge from universities – the European perspective’

• Sub-stream organizer at EGOS 2008, Amsterdam: ‘Organising innovation by collaborating. Exploring inter-organisational relationships for research & technology development‘ (with B Nooteboom, E Stam)

Organization of events and conference sessions

07/2009  -  Sub-theme organizer at EGOS 2009, Barcelona: ‘Innovation, cognition and interaction’ (with B Nooteboom, Tilburg U.; E Stam, Cambridge U.)

08/2008  -  Organiser of Professional Development Workshop (PDW): ‘Research on universities: studying knowledge-creating collaboration’ (with V Acha, Tanaka Business School), AOM Annual Meeting

07/2008  -  Sub-stream organizer at EGOS 2008, Amsterdam: ‘Organising innovation by collaborating. Exploring inter-organisational relationships for research and technology development‘ (with B Nooteboom, Tilburg U.; E Stam, Cambridge U.)

08/2007  -  Chair of Symposium at Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2007, Philadelphia: ‘How firms search, appropriate and use knowledge from universities – the European perspective’

05/2007  -  Organizer of workshop ‘Exploring and mapping university-industry relationships’ (with A Salter, P d’Este) – invited international speakers – Tanaka Business School

09/2008  -  Burns N D Grand Challenge innovation research, AIM (Europe) Association Of Industrial Managers research conference, Zurich, September 2007.

09/2008  -  Morton S C and Burns N D attendance at the POMS Tokyo conference

The table below shows conferences attended by Dr Sue Morton:

Working/Work in Progress Papers