Effective University - Industry Interaction:: A Multi-case Evaluation of Collaborative R&D Projects

There is a growing world-wide trend toward greater collaboration between academia and industry, an activity encouraged by governments as a means of enhancing national competitiveness and wealth creation. Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) is well known for its extensive links with industry, and provided an excellent opportunity for a study of management practice within university-industry collaborative research projects. This paper evaluates the findings of six collaborative research projects. The objective was to identify factors which, if managed correctly, increase the probability of a collaboration being perceived as successful by both academic and industrial partners. The outcome was a good practice model for successful university-industry research collaborations.