Session Information
15 SES 10 A, University - Industry Partnerships
Paper Session
Contribution
In this paper we discuss the unexpected way of knowledge transfer to the international arena with the help of university-industry cooperation. The research belongs to the body of literature on university-industry interactions and the ways of knowledge transfer and they effect on the regional development. Embarking on a university-industry knowledge transfer we ask how the introduction of new approaches can help regions and countries become more successful in the knowledge transfer. We are interested in the knowledge transfer as it is implemented in and exerts influence over particular contexts “In the face of regional decline, universities have increasingly proven to be key assets in the transition of the local economy.” (Melissa Ryan, 2017).
There is a big amount of research in the sphere of knowledge transfer and its correlation with university-industry interaction. In common, we can identify two ways of knowledge transfer: formal and informal (Ortiz, 2012). Informal channels mostly based on personal relations between university research staff and industry (Cohen et al., 2002; D’Este and Patel, 2007; Bakkers and Freitas, 2008; Ramos-Vielba and Fernández-Esquinas, 2012; Joaquín M. Azagra-Caro et al., 2016). Notwithstanding, there is no much attention to the special relationships among channels of knowledge which can be flexible and dynamic. D’Este and Patel (2007) mentioned that the previous experience predetermines the changes of the priority knowledge channel. Audretsch and Stephan (1996, p. 651) revealed that the geographic proximity is not necessary and the success of cooperation depends on ties between researches and industry. However, knowledge transfer has different goals and university can be a producer of knowledge and simultaneously acts as a support system (Hewitt-Dundas, 2012) and have a specific channels of transfer efficiency (Bekkers and Bodas Freitas, 2008).
Inspired by a question posed by Osipov, G.V., Strihanov, M.N., Sheregi, F.Je. (2014) “Can we launch the high-tech business to the international arena with the help of university-industry cooperation?”, we claim that we lose sight of one of the major resources in the university – international students. (EC, 2011) singled out eight forms of cooperation but didn’t mention the importance of international student’s network for university, regional business and country development. Moreover, the majority of research pay less attention to the student’s network than to different commercial types of cooperation. Following this, our research seeks to capture the role of international students as a new channel of knowledge transfer and its role for economic development.
Method
The study was conducted in several regions of Russia that was among the first to try to find new ways of knowledge transfer. The major part of research conducted in the regions where the flagship universities were. The data was collected primarily through twelve-week research, which included analysis of documents, strategic plans, cooperation formats and key problems which hindering its development. Foughty-eight interviews with research staff and administrators in 33 flagship universities located in the capital of the region. Twenty-one interviews were conducted with business and industry which located in the same regions and connected with the flagship universities specialization. Three municipal-level meetings for university administrators and research staff and industry and business were observed. Our interview questions were grouped into three main blocks and elicit: (1) how the interviewees define the problems of knowledge transfer and university-industry cooperation and how, in their view, it should be changed; (2) what the main types of knowledge transfer and cooperation they have, and what may or may not be problematic about them; (3) what has changed with the introduction of new channels of knowledge transfer. These questions also guided the observations of university-industry cooperation, administrative and business positions and other aspects of university-industry cooperation. In Russia, university-industry cooperation began actively develop during the period when sanctions have been imposed on large enterprises and businesses, which contributed to the reduction of opportunities for interaction with foreign partners and entry into foreign markets. In 2014 Russian business faced the problem when it lost all the opportunities to be a part of the international market. Sanctions closed the doors to high-tech business and it began to suffer losses. More than half of business companies became bankrupt. Another part tried to find a way to survive. During two years they tried to identify what was the real problem of their bad situation. Based on the research that we made we tried to identify the actual model of knowledge transfer and try to transform it to the relevant construction. The main purpose was to make a model which allows developing business not only in the region, but also scaling it to the international market and be relevant for business incubators, start-ups and small innovative enterprises. Due to the implementation of this scheme, the university increases the level of competitiveness in the market of educational services formation of additional sources of funding through this model.
Expected Outcomes
This study reaffirms and enriches the understanding of multiple controversies and vulnerabilities produced by the university-industry cooperation and knowledge transfer. There are several assumptions regarding the knowledge transfer that conflict with the practices established and valued by the professionals. Moreover, we faced the problem of controversial points of view on knowledge transfer from the both sides in university-industry cooperation. At the same time, despite the differences, we observed no attempts at open resistance for transformation of the knowledge transfer model. However, based on the interviews and intercommunion with flagship universities and business we identified problems and opportunities in the future cooperation. In addition, these interviews helped us to recognize the main problem of business stagnation: lack of awareness of innovative developments; lack of specialists focused on research and development; lack of access to the international market, including due to the imposed sanctions; lack of communication with external partners, indigeneity; lack of interaction with universities. Furthermore, this research helped to find a completely new way of knowledge transfer which based on the international students and graduates’ network. With the help of this new approach we killed two birds with one stone: help high-tech business to launch on the international market and develop efficient university-industry cooperation which is pivotal for both of them. In several years after implementation of the model in these regions we will expect increasing the number of regional successful high-tech companies to 25%; increasing the awareness of Russian high-tech brands abroad; creation an international network of high-tech leaders; improving the quality of education; increasing a university extrabudgetary funds; formation of the positive image of Russian higher education abroad.
References
Audretsch, D.B., Stephan, P.E., 1996. Company-scientist locational links: the case of biotechnology? Am. Econ. Rev. 86 (3), 641–652. Bekkers, R., Freitas, I.M.B., 2008. Analysing knowledge transfer channels between universities and industry: to what degree do sectors also matter? Res. Policy37 (10), 1837–1853. Cohen, W.M., Nelson, R.R., Walsh, J.P., 2002. Links and impacts: the influence of public research on industrial R&D. Manage. Sci. 48 (1), 1–23. D’Este, P., Patel, P., 2007. University–industry linkages in the UK: What are the factors underlying the variety of interactions with industry? Res. Policy 36 (9),1295–1313. European Commission (2011): The State of European University-Business Cooperation, Münster: Science-to-Business Marketing Research Center Hewitt-Dundas, N., 2012. Research intensity and knowledge transfer activity in UK universities. Res. Policy 41 (2), 262–275. Joaquín M. Azagra-Caro, David Barberá-Tomása, Mónica Edwards-Schachtera, Elena M. Tur (2017) Dynamic interactions between university-industry knowledge transfer channels: A case study of the most highly cited academic patent. Research Policy 46 463–474 Melissa Ryan, Starting successfully with the University of Wollongong’s iAccelerate (2017) University-industry innovation magazine www.magazine.uiin.org Ortiz, A (2012): Kooperation zwischen Unternehmen und Universitäten, Wiesbaden: Springer Verlag Osipov, G.V., Strihanov, M.N., Sheregi, F.Je. (2014). Vzaimodejstvie nauki i proizvodstva: sociologicheskij analiz [The interaction of science and industry: a sociological analysis]. V 2-h ch. Ch. 1. Moskva: CSP and M. Ramos-Vielba, I., Fernández-Esquinas, M., 2012. Beneath the tip of the iceberg: exploring the multiple forms of university–industry linkages. Higher Educ. 64(2), 237–265.
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