Page 14 - Rižnar, Igor, and Klemen Kavčič (ed.). 2017. Connecting Higher Education Institutions with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 14
Robert Rybnicek
universities pursue, in contrast to profit-oriented companies, different
(presumably non-economic) goals, which makes them a good counter-
part.
Therefore, it is no wonder that collaboration between industry and
universities has become increasingly relevant in the last few decades.
On the one hand, it allows companies to develop new innovation capa-
bilities (Flores et al. 2009) and gain access to highly qualified researchers
(Myoken 2013), as well as technology and knowledge (Barnes, Pashby,
and Gibbons 2002). On the other hand, universities benefit from the
collaboration too, for instance through additional funding, industry
equipment, licensing and patenting income as well as from knowl-
edge and technology transfer (Barnes, Pashby, and Gibbons 2002). It is
hardly surprising, that governments are also interested in such fruitful
collaborations as they create wealth and regional innovation (Barnes,
Pashby, and Gibbons 2002) and of course – as a pleasant side effect –
the additional private resources decrease the need for governmental
funding for universities.
A special form of such a university-industry collaboration is the col-
laboration between universities and small and medium-sized enter-
prises (s m e s), which can be both advantageous and challenging. Uni-
versities and s m e s are both important for the economy and have a
huge impact on the prosperity and development of a country and its so-
ciety. In many countries, sme s are designated as the ‘backbone of the
economy’ as they are responsible for an essential share of the gross do-
mestic product and national employment, while at the same time they
often feel more obligations to the region than large concerns. In this
sense, there are some similarities to universities. These institutions are
also strongly associated with the region and important factors for (di-
rect or indirect) employment and innovation. However, besides these
similarities, there are also some differences between sme s and univer-
sities in terms of size, management, flexibility and others. Neverthe-
less, the collaboration between universities and sme s can be beneficial
for both institutions as they can fill in for each other any gaps and/or
blind spots either of them may have.
Reasons for Collaboration
In the course of this chapter, we elaborate on the reasons why collabo-
ration between sme s and universities makes sense. We therefore anal-
ysed the relevant literature on industry-university collaboration and
12
universities pursue, in contrast to profit-oriented companies, different
(presumably non-economic) goals, which makes them a good counter-
part.
Therefore, it is no wonder that collaboration between industry and
universities has become increasingly relevant in the last few decades.
On the one hand, it allows companies to develop new innovation capa-
bilities (Flores et al. 2009) and gain access to highly qualified researchers
(Myoken 2013), as well as technology and knowledge (Barnes, Pashby,
and Gibbons 2002). On the other hand, universities benefit from the
collaboration too, for instance through additional funding, industry
equipment, licensing and patenting income as well as from knowl-
edge and technology transfer (Barnes, Pashby, and Gibbons 2002). It is
hardly surprising, that governments are also interested in such fruitful
collaborations as they create wealth and regional innovation (Barnes,
Pashby, and Gibbons 2002) and of course – as a pleasant side effect –
the additional private resources decrease the need for governmental
funding for universities.
A special form of such a university-industry collaboration is the col-
laboration between universities and small and medium-sized enter-
prises (s m e s), which can be both advantageous and challenging. Uni-
versities and s m e s are both important for the economy and have a
huge impact on the prosperity and development of a country and its so-
ciety. In many countries, sme s are designated as the ‘backbone of the
economy’ as they are responsible for an essential share of the gross do-
mestic product and national employment, while at the same time they
often feel more obligations to the region than large concerns. In this
sense, there are some similarities to universities. These institutions are
also strongly associated with the region and important factors for (di-
rect or indirect) employment and innovation. However, besides these
similarities, there are also some differences between sme s and univer-
sities in terms of size, management, flexibility and others. Neverthe-
less, the collaboration between universities and sme s can be beneficial
for both institutions as they can fill in for each other any gaps and/or
blind spots either of them may have.
Reasons for Collaboration
In the course of this chapter, we elaborate on the reasons why collabo-
ration between sme s and universities makes sense. We therefore anal-
ysed the relevant literature on industry-university collaboration and
12
