Relationships Among Technology Institutes and Firms: Are Determining Factors Dependent on the Type of Service Provided?

This work aims to be a first step in developing a comprehensive model of the varied set of problems and factors affecting the provision of services by external sources of knowledge and applying it to the relationships among Spanish technology institutes and their client firms. The model recognizes the importance of taking account of the characteristics of knowledge sources, knowledge users, the specific relationships among them, public intervention, and the environment. Results fully support the idea that these interactions are influenced by many factors simultaneously, depending on the type of service provided. The results of the study point to the need for a more complex approach to this phenomenon by both academics and policy makers; implementation of multilevel policy is strongly recommended. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2013