The Challenge of Business –University Collaboration:Context, Content and Process

In December 2003 Richard Lambert released his report on business-university collaboration, which highlightedmany examples of good collaboration, but called for further development and investment.1 The Lambert Review alsorecognised that the UK Government is pursuing an agenda of regionalisation and devolution and argued that thedevolved administrations would have to consult on how best to take his recommendations forward. These commentsset the scene for this report, which explores the challenges of business-university collaboration and identifies theirimplications for practice and policy.2The UK’s Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM) and the Scottish Manufacturing Institute (SMI) at Heriot-Watt University conducted a joint Management Research Forum to address this issue, focusing particularly on theScottish context. During the Forum, held at the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), invited attendees from industry,academia and public service explored the links between universities and their local economies. The discussionscentred on the experience of other parts of the UK and Europe, included examples of effective models and proposedpractical mechanisms for improved links between universities and business.Following the Forum, four AIM Scholars conducted further research into the ideas generated and devised thisPost Forum Report as a basis for further discussion. The Management Research Forum is a model used by AIM onprevious occasions that has been proved to be highly effective in generating ideas and delivering action-orientedrecommendations for stakeholder consideration.[...]