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Knowledge links between European universities and firms: A review

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  • Edward M. Bergman

Abstract

Difficulty in extracting scientific and research findings from EU universities and placing such knowledge at the commercial disposal of innovation‐dependent firms and industries is a cause for grave concern in many European states and regions. We take stock of the evidence from the perspective of knowledge‐seeking firms and knowledge‐generating universities, an exercise that reveals striking asymmetries: firms presently seek mainly public science outputs of academics, while universities encourage their academics to pursue proprietary science opportunities more heavily in their dealings with business and industry, pursuit of which may provoke other academics to oppose greater commercialization of university research. Resumen La dificultad para extraer resultados científicos y de investigación de universidades de la UE y hacer que dicho conocimiento esté disponible comercialmente para industrias y empresas dependientes de la innovación es motivo de gran preocupación en muchas regiones y países europeos. Evaluamos la literatura existente desde el punto de vista de las empresas que buscan conocimiento y las universidades que lo generan, siendo este un ejercicio que revela asimetrías notables: las empresas hoy en día buscan principalmente de los académicos resultados científicos públicos, mientras que las universidades animan a sus académicos a que persigan con mayor afán oportunidades científicas patentables cuando traten con empresas e industrias, algo que podría provocar a otros académicos a que se opongan a una comercialización cada vez mayor de la investigación en la universidad.

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  • Edward M. Bergman, 2010. "Knowledge links between European universities and firms: A review," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 89(2), pages 311-333, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:presci:v:89:y:2010:i:2:p:311-333
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1435-5957.2010.00310.x
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    2. Dan He & Manxin Zheng & Wei Cheng & Yui-yip Lau & Qingmei Yin, 2019. "Interaction between Higher Education Outputs and Industrial Structure Evolution: Evidence from Hubei Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-19, May.
    3. João Ricardo Faria & Rajeev K. Goel & Devrim Göktepe-Hultén, 2022. "Factors facilitating the inventing academics transition from nascent entrepreneurs to business owners," Chapters, in: David E. Audretsch & Erik B. Lehmann & Albert N. Link (ed.), Handbook of Technology Transfer, chapter 5, pages 75-102, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Marina van Geenhuizen, 2013. "Valorization of university knowledge: what are the barriers and can ‘living labs’ provide solutions?," Chapters, in: Tüzin Baycan (ed.), Knowledge Commercialization and Valorization in Regional Economic Development, chapter 7, pages 135-156, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Olivier Bouba-Olga & Marie Ferru & Dominique Pépin, 2012. "Exploring spatial features of science-industry partnerships: A study on French data," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(2), pages 355-375, June.
    6. Elie Geisler & Giuseppe Turchetti, 2015. "Commercialization of Technological Innovations: The Effects of Internal Entrepreneurs and Managerial and Cultural Factors on Public–Private Inter-Organizational Cooperation," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 12(02), pages 1-26.
    7. Bouba-Olga, Olivier & Ferru, Marie, 2011. "La dimension spatiale des collaborations pour l’innovation : une analyse sur données CIFRE (1981-2006)," Revue d'économie régionale et urbaine, Editions NecPlus, vol. 2011(03), pages 449-468, September.
    8. Maria De Paola & Michela Ponzo & Vincenzo Scoppa, 2018. "Are Men Given Priority for Top Jobs? Investigating the Glass Ceiling in Italian Academia," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(3), pages 475-503.
    9. João Ricardo Faria & Peter F. Wanke & João J. Ferreira & Franklin G. Mixon, 2018. "Research and innovation in higher education: empirical evidence from research and patenting in Brazil," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(1), pages 487-504, July.
    10. Šárka Hrabinová & Jiří Novosák & Oldřich Hájek & Nataša Pomazalová, 2012. "Universities, human capital, social capital and enterprise: some lessons from the Czech Republic," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 60(2), pages 91-96.
    11. Edward Bergman, 2011. "Hirschmann Mobility Among Academics of Highly Ranked EU Research Universities," ERSA conference papers ersa11p1134, European Regional Science Association.
    12. Michaela Trippl & Gunther Maier, 2012. "Star Scientists and Regional Knowledge Transfer," Chapters, in: Knut Ingar Westeren (ed.), Foundations of the Knowledge Economy, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.

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