Measuring the performance of research collaborations

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this research was to investigate how to measure the performance of research and technology collaborations and to subsequently improve the management of university‐industry collaborative projects.Design/methodology/approachLiterature studies have been carried out on the performance measurement of collaborative relationships and this has been augmented by research involving interviews with 32 relevant stakeholders.FindingsThe study has allowed a new performance measurement tool to be developed that is based on a conceptual model of research collaboration as a transformation process. This process incorporates the key findings from the literature and empirical studies, namely the need for technical, project, business and social inputs as well as knowledge and sustainability process outputs.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on university‐industry collaborations and although the performance tool may be applied to other forms of collaboration, there may be elements specific to the application under investigation.Practical implicationsThe new performance measurement tool can be used by academic faculty and professional services staff within universities to improve the management of research collaborations as well as by industry to help manage collaborations with universities. Both types of organisation can use the tool to help inform business and technical strategy.Originality/valueThe performance tool incorporates key requirements identified in the literature together with the findings from a consultation with a diverse group of highly experienced stakeholders; therefore, it provides a rigorous assessment of the issues and requirements for the management of research collaborations.

Facilitating innovation in European research area through pre-competitive EU-funded COST Actions

“…Some studies on performance measurement of collaborative activities focus in general on aspects related to information generation and dissemination. While research collaborations are based on information flows between collaborating partners, in the specific case of the field of technology transfer, it also refers to either patents, industrial applications, technology licensing or even formation of academic start-ups (Philbin 2008). Other commonly observed benefits derivable from collaboration are joint learning, consensus and accommodation of mutual requirements, field orientation and, importantly, improvements in networking skills together with improvements in scientific and technological skills.…”

“…It has been argued that the use of balanced scorecards can potentially address this need for metrics when assessing the performance of a research collaboration (Philbin 2008). Research also stresses the need for tangible and intangible measures in performance management as this can help identify enhancements in knowledge and social development (2006).…”

Direct-To-Physician Advertising and Antibiotic Utilization in Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: A Critical Analysis

“…Moreover, the presence of the representatives of different areas, such as IT, biology, chemistry, marketing, and so on could provide unexpected results due to the diversity of the group members. Of course, each of the participants Philbin et al [43], provides the conceptual model for performance measurement of the research collaboration process. According to the Model, there should be cooperation between research and technology (R&T) [43].…”

“…Of course, each of the participants Philbin et al [43], provides the conceptual model for performance measurement of the research collaboration process. According to the Model, there should be cooperation between research and technology (R&T) [43]. According to the author, the technical, business, and social activities are transformed into sustainability and knowledge sharing, which lead to the improvement of the project.…”

Technical collaboration in international environmental assessment projects: a case study of the UNEP Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland Project

“…In academia, collaborative partnerships with industry or other organizations are viewed as rich sources of information for further research and academic publications. The success of collaborations between companies and universities (Sampson, 2007) (cited in Philbin [8]), can be highly contingent on the performance of information flow between the collaborators. Collaboration requires individual participants to adopt simplified standardized solutions based on common architectures and data models (Horvath [9]).…”