Reconceptualising knowledge exchange and higher education institutions: broadening our understanding of motivations, channels, and stakeholders

Marzocchi, Chiara; Kitagawa, Fumi; Rossi, Federica; Uyarra, Elvira

doi:10.1080/03075079.2023.2184791

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

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A patent-based analysis of the evolution of basic, mission-oriented, and applied research in European universities

2023

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The dynamics of basic and applied research at university and industry have steadily changed since the Eighties, with the private sector reducing its investments in science and universities experiencing significant remodelling in the governance of their funding. While studies have focussed on documenting these changes in industry, less attention has been paid to observe the trajectories of basic and applied research in universities. This work contributes to fill this gap by looking at the evolution of publicly funded research that has been patented by universities between 1978 and 2015. First, we adopt a critical perspective of the basic versus applied dichotomy and identify patents according to three typologies of research: basic, mission-oriented, and applied research. Second, we describe the evolution of these three typologies in universities compared to industry. Our results show that over the years, patents from academic research that was publicly funded have become more oriented towards pure basic research, with mission-oriented basic research and pure applied research decreasing from the late 1990s. These results complement and extend the literature on basic and applied research dynamics in the private sector. By introducing mission-oriented research as a type of basic research with consideration of use, the work problematises the basic and applied research dichotomy and provides insights into the evolution of academic research focus, offering a more complex picture of how university research contributes to industry and broader social value creation.

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A patent-based analysis of the evolution of basic, mission-oriented, and applied research in European universities

2023

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Understanding university technicians’ role in creating knowledge exchange routines and capabilities: a research agenda

Noke,

Mosey,

Vere

2024

J Technol Transf

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Knowledge exchange (KE) is becoming a strategic imperative for universities globally. Research examining KE has tended to focus on a limited and select group of stakeholders. This paper builds on calls for a wider consideration of KE activities and other contributors to the KE agenda. The technical community is one such group that has received little attention or acknowledgement of their part in KE. We argue that the technical community makes a significant yet overlooked contribution to a broad array of KE activities. Technicians are problem solvers that often undertake work that their academic counterparts could not do—as users and managers of complex equipment to enable innovation. To date the literature provides limited understanding of the technician’s role and a lack of conceptualization of the contribution of technicians in KE. Adopting a micro-foundation approach, we present a conceptual framework which draws on the multi-level categories of individuals, processes and structures. We take a broader perspective of KE by including activities such as working with external businesses, enabling access to facilities and providing analysis, and contributing to public engagement and training. By synthesizing contemporary research with recent policy work we reveal the potential contribution of technician’s talent, know-how and boundary spanning activities. We conclude with a structured agenda and conceptual framework to help guide future research, showing how investigating the integration of individual, process and structural factors affecting technicians can help reveal new insights into KE capability development at the university level.

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Micro-processes of knowledge sharing in higher education: international students as a source

Luo

2023

Studies in Higher Education

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Reconceptualising knowledge exchange and higher education institutions: broadening our understanding of motivations, channels, and stakeholders

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

A patent-based analysis of the evolution of basic, mission-oriented, and applied research in European universities

A patent-based analysis of the evolution of basic, mission-oriented, and applied research in European universities

Understanding university technicians’ role in creating knowledge exchange routines and capabilities: a research agenda

Micro-processes of knowledge sharing in higher education: international students as a source

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