Making university-industry collaborations work

University-industry collaborations are vital to address the needs of national economic development.  According to the research carried out by Science Business Innovation Board AISBL, a Belgian not-for-profit scientific association, these collaborations need to move from specific projects to strategic relationships. But how do you make a shift from project focused to strategic focus?

Here are nine key learning points suggested in the report to help institutions achieve this shift:

1. University leadership is vital.

2. Built-in flexibility works best in long-term strategic partnership.

3. Develop the strategy based on a shared vision.

4. Choose leaders who cross cultural boundaries between academia and industry.

5. Facilitate dialogue and cross-fertilisation of ideas.

6. Do not get too focused on intellectual property.

7. Promote a multi-disciplinary approach to research and learning.

8. Don’t focus on metrics as an outcome of a successful partnership.

9. Redefine the role of the research university as a source of competence and problem-solving for society.

Click here to download the full report which includes case studies on successful collaborations.

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This article is extracted from GlobalAcademyJobs.com published on 17 March 2016.