Improving business performance is the main focus for companies collaborating with universities, rather than technological innovation, according to results of surveys of businesses and academic institutions released today. The surveys were conducted by the Centre for Business Research at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
The survey of businesses shows that collaborations are primarily based on problem solving and people- or community-based interactions rather than technology transfer. While universities often focus on measures of technology transfer — patents, licenses, and new start up companies — the findings show that the impact from knowledge exchange on the parties is much more comprehensive. The business survey data indicate that companies enter into partnerships with academic researchers to improve business operations, such as service development, human resource management, training, and marketing. The survey of academics shows that the knowledge exchange activities had significant positive impacts on research and teaching.
The surveys also revealed barriers to collaborations. Businesses were often constrained by lack of resources and corporate support to encourage interactions, difficulty in identifying partners, and insufficient benefits. However, the results indicate cultural barriers between business and academia or problems with intellectual property were not seen as major problems. Academics identified a similar set of constraints, the most important being lack of time, bureaucracy, and insufficient rewards.
The surveys are part of a project examining business-university knowledge exchange partnerships, their effectiveness, and regional impact. The business survey generated more than 2,500 responses, and the academic survey drew over 22,000 responses and included several case studies.
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