Intensification of university–industry relationships and its impact on academic research

Abstract

This paper analyses the intensification of university-industry relationships and its impact on university research. The paper consists of recent follow-up research to an international comparative research project conducted in the 1990s. It deals specifically with the Qué bec (Canada) situation. Twenty-eight in-depth interviews were conducted in the winter of 2003 with university researchers and an additional five interviews with technology transfer officers. The interviews were conducted in six francophone higher education institutions in Qué bec. With regard to university-industry relationships, the interviews revealed that university researchers in scientific and technological fields conducted innovation-oriented research, which benefits their graduate students and the institution itself. Freedom of publication is somewhat conditioned by intellectual property constraints. Thus, a majority of university researchers adopt an ''entrepreneurial ethos'' which they find compatible with their academic values. The intensification of university-industry relationships may also have latent dysfunctional effects with regard to conflicts of interest, as some university researchers have created start-up companies which act both as research funding sources and as beneficiaries of research results. Thus, intellectual property and conflict of interest issues evolve in a grey zone and are often sources of stress and tension for researchers. However harsh some disputes may become over these issues, they are resolved, at least in the context analysed in this research, in ways that satisfy both the researcher and the institutions.Keywords Academic research AE Conflicts of interest AE Entrepreneurial professorship AE Industry relationships AE Intellectual property AE Intensification of university A preliminary version of this paper was presented

A Typology of Research Training in University—Industry Collaboration

“…It is concerned with the social and cultural impacts of such exploitation of knowledge: the financial outcomes come as a byproduct. With the addition of the influence of commercialism, this disposition can further develop into different varieties such as the 'solidarity stance', which is linked to its original social intention, and the 'entrepreneurial stance' (Clark, 1998;Etzkowitz et al, 2000;Crespo and Dridi, 2007) which is closer to the commercialized disposition.…”

“…The initial wave of policy research in the area of university-industry collaboration has produced a reasonably good understanding of how academia can relate to industry, the benefits and drawbacks of such collaboration and what obstacles must be overcome if the collaboration is to be successful (Veugelers and Cassiman, 2005;Mendoza and Berger, 2008;Geuna and Muscio, 2009;Martin, 2000;Lambert, 2003;Crespo and Dridi, 2007;Blumenthal, 2003;D'Este and Patel, 2007). Although such collaboration is important for both the university and industry, it can cause some concerns.…”

Universidad Y Desarrollo Social

“…De esta forma, los principales agentes de interés prioritariamente referidos a los que consultar por las necesidades a que habría de atender la Universidad son los que conforman el tejido productivo -empleadores, empresas capaces de incorporar tecnologías, etc.- (Crespo y Dridi, 2007); las competencias transversales (y otras competencias de los programas formativos) son valoradas en los programas en función de su valía en el mercado de trabajo (Abrandt et al, 2007;Allen y de Weert, 2007;Yorke, 2006; The Pedagogy for Employability Group, 2006;Teichler, 2007; 28 Es de interés aquí el informe de OCDE 'Final report DeSeCo Project (Definition and Selection of Competencies: Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations)'. Se puede consultar información más completa del proyecto en el sitio web de OCDE: http://www.oecd.org/edu/skills-beyondschool/definitionandselectionofcompetenciesdeseco.htm.…”

Who has a stake? How stakeholder processes influence partnership sustainability

“…University researchers offer technical knowledge, an analytical perspective and access to a talented, inexpensive labour pool; universities also provide an educated workforce and may offer customised training for local employers (Crespo & Dridi 2007;Koven & Lyons 2003). These two roles of knowledge creation and knowledge dissemination have become increasingly important in the transition to a knowledge economy.…”