Analysing knowledge transfer channels between universities and industry: To what degree do sectors also matter?

TLDR: In this article, the relative importance of different channels in different contexts is explained by disciplinary origin, characteristics of the underlying knowledge, the characteristics of researchers involved in producing and using this knowledge, and the environment in which knowledge is produced and used.

About: This article is published in Research Policy.The article was published on 2008-12-01 and is currently open access. It has received 736 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Knowledge transfer.

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Table 3. Estimates of the Binary Logistic Model on the medium and high average importance of each cluster of channels of knowledge transfer. (All potential explaining factors. Backward method.)

Table 2 Clusters of channels of knowledge transfer, pooled data from industrial and university researchers

Table 1: Importance rating for the surveyed knowledge transfer

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What are the contributions in "Analysing preferences for knowledge transfer channels between universities and industry: to what degree do sectors also matter?" ?

This paper aims to explain the relative importance of these different channels in different contexts. For this purpose, responses from two questionnaires were analysed, addressing Dutch industrial and university researchers respectively. Instead, this variety is better explained by the disciplinary origin, the characteristics of the underlying knowledge, the characteristics of researchers involved in producing and using this knowledge ( individual characteristics ), and the environment in which knowledge is produced and used ( institutional characteristics ). Overall, their results suggest that the industrial activities of firms do not significantly explain differences in importance of a wide variety of channels through which knowledge between university and industry might be transferred. 

Q2. What are the forms of knowledge transfer?

when knowledge to be transferred is codified into written and published papers, scientific publications, patents and participation into conferences would be the best forms of knowledge transfer, as awareness might be the main important step to the effective transfer (David and Foray, 1996; Cohendet and Steinmueller, 2000). 

Q3. What are the main reasons why patents and publications are important?

Patents and publications are expected to be relatively more important to transfer knowledge related to the life sciences and natural sciences. 

Q4. What are the main characteristics of the respondents who write many refereed papers?

In particular, those respondents having written many refereed papers (as either a sole author or a co-author) tend to favour ‘scientific output, informal contacts and students’ as well as ‘collaborative and contract research’. 

Q5. Which cluster is more important for respondents with a high number of published patents?

The ‘Patents and licensing’ cluster is more important for respondents with a highnumber of published patents and working with interdependent knowledge. 

Q6. What could be more effective to support firms’ awareness of newly developed knowledge?

Issues such as the widespread availability of scientific journals, as well encouragement of participation in scientific conferences for larger and smaller industrial firms, could be much more effective to support firms’ awareness of newly developed knowledge.