University-industry collaboration: A closer look for academic leaders

University-industry collaborations have expanded in recent years, reflecting a shifting landscape across higher education worldwide. As many universities face changes in government funding and shifting priorities, there is a renewed focus on partnership models that go beyond traditional boundaries. This momentum is evident not only in well-established leaders but also across a diverse range of institutions adopting more innovative and engaged approaches. Many are inspired by the growing concept of fourth-generation universities, which emphasize collaboration to promote societal benefit as well as academic excellence. Together, these forces are helping more universities and industries work toward shared goals — solving complex challenges, advancing knowledge and creating meaningful impact.

This guide explores university-industry collaboration, examining its key characteristics, the perspectives of both sectors and the factors that drive successful partnerships. Additionally, it offers practical advice on identifying and connecting with the right collaborators.

What is university-industry collaboration?

Our university is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research, and the personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.

Above is a mission statement from a prominent U.S. research university, Northwestern University. It is typical of most in affirming a strong commitment to it's students and the academic community. While the traditional focus of universities is education and the creation of new knowledge, recent years have brought a new, additional emphasis on technology transfer, entrepreneurship and collaboration.

On the other hand, the primary purpose of corporations is to deliver shareholder value or, for startups, to provide returns to their investors. Success in the market is the ultimate marker of success in the business world.

Innovation is, however, critical to both sectors.

While academia and industry each bring their own perspective to innovation — with universities focusing on research-driven discovery and industry driving market-focused applications — the two approaches are closely connected. Industry relies on the foundation of academic research to fuel its advancements, making collaboration essential. Today, both sectors recognize the need to be strategic about intellectual property (IP), especially in areas where competition and economic interests are strong. Universities and companies alike are increasingly cautious about what they share publicly, shaped not only by commercial interests but also by heightened concerns around national critical technologies and geopolitics. This shift, especially noticeable in many Western countries over the past decade, has led to greater alignment between academia and industry in how they protect and manage innovation.

With different goals at play, can they truly find common ground for shared success?

While universities and industry often have distinct goals — universities tending to focus on education and research excellence and industry aiming for practical, market-driven results — these objectives are closely linked through the pursuit of innovation and societal benefits. Sometimes, these different aims may seem to lead to misalignment; however, when successfully managed, the collaboration between the two sectors becomes highly productive and rewarding for all involved, as well as beneficial to the public good.

Collaboration is thriving. The chart below shows that, according to Scopus, the global number of papers co-authored by a research institution and an industry partner is on a steady rise. These relationships are valued by institutions not only for their potential to increase competitiveness and financial health, but also for their role in driving real-world impact. Such partnerships enable both sectors to tackle cross-border challenges, spark scalable growth and address complex societal needs — outcomes that benefit from the shared strengths each partner brings.

Crucially, these collaborations work because each side brings complementary capabilities. Industry frequently identifies pressing real-world problems and provides context and resources to solve them. Universities contribute creative approaches, breakthrough research and a breadth of skills that often lead to innovative solutions. This combination enables discoveries that neither could accomplish alone, with benefits that extend far beyond each party to society as a whole.

What are the different forms of university-industry collaboration?

Imagine two researchers — one from a biotech start-up and another from a large university medical research lab — meet at a conference. They discover they have similar research interests and share research and subsequently jointly publish papers. Serendipity can be a powerful force in driving innovations. This collaboration might start with a simple interaction, but it is also one that leads to fruitful discoveries.

In contrast to taking advantage of a serendipitous opportunity, many university and industry collaborations follow a more orchestrated and formalized approach. You will often find joint appointments for faculty and industry staff, wherein they serve dual roles on campus and within the company. Researchers can also take sabbaticals to stay with their partner institution for an extended period, while students mentored by these researchers can enter the workforce through internships.

Now, examine the idea of a much broader engagement between a university and an industry partner. This collaboration is often a strategic partnership with the most senior levels in university leadership taking part. An example of this is the relationship between the University of Cincinnati and Procter & Gamble.

Dr. Philip Taylor, former Assistant Vice President, Office of Research at the University of Cincinnati and current President of Philip H Taylor, Environmental Consulting, shares his unique perspective from both the industry and university sectors. He sees the advantage of these agreements as bringing large-scale problems to the university, which has the infrastructure, the architecture, and the right person(s) to work on it. And, for the university, the agreement brings substantial industry funding.

There are examples of these collaborations around the globe.

According to Dr. Luigi Occhipinti, Director of Research at the University of Cambridge, he often sees collaborations in the engineering department that start small and grow. He cites Dyson as an excellent example. In 2016, Cambridge and Dyson jointly opened the Dyson Centre for Engineering Design.

There are also examples from the industry perspective, such as the BMW Group's approach to strategic partnerships with universities and research institutions. BMW has developed significant collaborations that focus on innovation and talent development. In a webinar titled, “Unveiling impact pathways through cross-sector collaboration and innovation,” Philipp Janello, the Academic Relations & Innovation Politics lead for the BMW Group, explains,

When we think about impact in collaborations, it goes beyond transferring scientific findings to actual product advancements. It’s also about tapping into academia’s objectivity and talent for innovation. This is critical, especially as technology evolves exponentially while organizational learning progresses more linearly.

Government plays a role in university-industry collaboration.

Often, these types of organization play a role in stimulating collaboration. Their involvement has generally been increasing but can vary significantly by country. Three-way partnerships between Industry-Government-University are sometimes called Triple Helix.

In "Why two heads are better than one: the power of university-industry collaborations," an episode of the Research 2030 podcast, Dr. Tony Boccanfuso, President of UIDP (University-Industry Demonstration Partnership), noted that, in the United States, the government's role has been relatively hands-off, but that trend is changing globally.

Listen in his own words.

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According to Dr. Occhipinti, one example of a public funding agency is the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK supporting the Centers for Doctoral Training programs for university PhD students, often also supported by industry partners.

A Chinese director of medical research described a broad, multi-year agreement between a pharmaceutical company, a university and the Chinese Academy of Sciences as an example of a helix arrangement.

While the Triple Helix model — bringing together industry, government and universities — is common in many regions worldwide, it is less prevalent in the United States, though it is gaining momentum. In the US, direct ties between universities and industry remain the primary approach, especially in the IT and engineering sectors, where venture capital and regional hubs play a crucial role.

An intriguing example of a successful government program to encourage these collaborations in the US is the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer. According to their website,

The Alliance model for translational research is that discoveries made in academic laboratories are handed off to for-profit partners for efficient development into research and clinical products. Alliance members have been eager to bring their technology to the clinic, forming over 100 start-up companies and partnerships with existing biotechnology firms. Many of these start-ups are thriving and now offer products, research, or consulting services to the academic and clinical communities. Others have attracted significant investment from large pharmaceutical companies and venture capital funds.

Why are university-industry collaborations important?

The executive summary of the United Kingdom’s review of university-industry collaboration, “The Dowling Review of Business-University Research Collaborations” states:

Strategic business-university research collaborations provide a myriad of benefits to their participants. For academics, these benefits can include the opportunity to address challenging research questions with real-world applications, see their research have tangible impacts and gain access to new skills, data or equipment. Companies can improve business performance through developing new techniques or technologies, de-risk investment in research, and extend the capabilities and expertise available to the firm.

According to the "Researcher Guidebook: A Guide for Successful Institutional-Industrial Collaborations" published by UIDP,

Both institutions and industries have much to gain from these collaborations since they promote the discovery of new synergies and models that promise mutual potential for ROI. For companies, partnering with institutions provides access to expertise and research that spurs innovation, extends their resources, and sharpens their competitive advantage. For non-profit institutions facing tightening federal budgets — which have created funding gaps in even the top laboratories, collaborations with industry offer promising revenue streams, effective ways to keep abreast of changing market and industry dynamics, and increased competitiveness in pursuing federal funding opportunities.

The potential benefits of collaboration between universities and industry include:

1. Better potential for societal impact

2. Better individual opportunities and outcomes

3. Employment opportunities for PhD and Post Docs

4. Increased funding and diversification of sources

5. Economic development potential

6. Availability of public-sector funding for projects

7. Improved industry competitiveness

8. Progress toward governmental goals

9. Greater citation impact

A notable example of university-industry-government collaboration

In this brief video, Mary Spongberg, Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) of Southern Cross University in Australia, discusses how her university's partnership with local organizations is tackling flood risk in Lismore. Taken from her interview at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit in October 2024, she highlights the Living Lab initiative — an innovative collaboration among universities, government, industry and the community — focused on real-world flood mitigation and enhancing community resilience.

Field-weighted citation impact and academic-industry collaboration

As shared in the question above and reflected in the graph below, research published with academic-industry co-authors (blue bars) shows a higher field-weighted citation impact when compared to research published without academic-industry co-authors (green bars).

What factors contribute to successful collaborations?

Unfortunately for departments seeking direction, this is a simple question without an easy answer, although Dr. Lesley Thompson, Vice President at Elsevier and former Programme Director at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the largest of the seven UK research councils, sums it up nicely:

You're in it for the long term, and you are generous in your relationship.

At the beginning of this guide, we acknowledged the different missions and agendas of both higher education institutions and the private sector. Dr. Thompson suggests that the most successful collaborations often begin small. This is an important point. Most benefits of these collaborations develop over years, not months. Productivity might decrease before it improves and then remains high for a long time. However, if both sides see the potential for a long-term partnership and share and communicate broadly, then the likelihood of success is greater.

Another critical aspect of successful collaborations is previous experience with a partner or a shared research agenda.

A few well-known examples of strategic partnerships

There are many successful and impactful examples of strategic partnerships to look to as examples, including:

• Rolls-Royce and their partnership with numerous universities, such as Cambridge, Oxford, Sheffield and Cranfield

• Northwestern University and pharma manufacturers, such as Pfizer

• UCLA and Royalty Pharma

• UC Santa Barbara and industry partners, such as Google in quantum computing

• Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) with Samsung Group

How can a university find an industry partner?

According to industry leaders, the two most important aspects they look for when starting a new project are a university partner:

1. With a shared history of successful collaborations

2. Working in the same research areas with a similar research agenda

What role does government play in university-industry collaborations?

Collaboration between universities and industry partners is increasingly more than a collaboration between two groups. Government departments, agencies and organizations play a role in facilitating these projects by providing funding and resources, among other forms of support.

The end goal of these government projects is to foster partnerships that drive innovative solutions to societal challenges while boosting the competitiveness of both industry and academia. While the degree of government involvement may vary across sectors and countries, most governments actively aim to catalyze university-industry collaborations, regardless of the specific innovation model in place.

US examples of these projects in action include:

• The Engines program by the NSF TIP directorate, coordinating university and corporate partners for tech acceleration and industry building.

• The creation of Tech Hubs by the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), bringing together universities and industry participants to boost specific areas' competitiveness and innovation.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has seen an uptick in government spending on research and development generally. Across national lines, while the US currently maintains its lead in R&D spending by business and higher education, China now spends 1.6 times as much on government R&D as the U.S.

This overall blending of government, academia and commerce is part of the concept of fourth-generation universities. Institutions that embrace this model will act as magnets for skilled researchers, who will remain in the region to contribute to both innovation and commercialization.

Conclusion

University research units and industry can help one another in numerous ways, and fostering collaboration between these parties is beneficial for all sides. In fact, these partnerships are a fundamental factor in solving global challenges, both large and small. From research advancement to societal progress, the outcomes of joint projects can create a significant and far-reaching impact.

At times of change affecting the world of research and development, particularly at the university level, it's essential to strengthen the collaborative ties between universities and their partners, including industry sources. From top research-intensive universities to smaller institutions with a narrower focus, leaders should be seeking and strengthening these beneficial partnerships.