UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY LINKAGES : A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

" We must all hang together or surely we will all hang separately. " Benjamin Franklin (Link & Tassey, 1989) The significant apathy that characterised the relationship between industry and universities has faded rapidly over the last two decades. Universities and industry entered the 1990s with strong incentives to form alliances. The technological imperative is one of the major challenges facing many nations' future economic development. The fusion of university and industry provides this dynamic paradigm contributing to technological progress in the interest of the public. This study seeks to analyse the existing literature in order to provide a framework for examining university-industry relationships. It first provides the characteristics and typologies of university-industry liaisons according to various functions and examines its impact on economic development. It can be seen that linkages between the university and industry provide the symbiosis imperative for the generation of new or incremental technology. This technology, if properly transferred and marketed can lead to economic development. The study also asserts that while maintaining the independence and separate cultures of university and industry, one must recognise the increasing reliance between the two parties and the potential for partnership. Universities and industry have displayed distinctive missions and objectives from each other. The academic orientation towards long-term research and conducting research for knowledge's sake is often met with industry's preoccupation with short-term, product oriented research. However, the decline in funding from the government to universities, mounting research costs and increased competition for industries are several factors which have caused both parties to re-examine their role towards each other. The types and implications of such linkages between university and industry in the United States, United Kingdom and Japan are also highlighted. All three countries have set up various agencies and established mechanisms to promote university-industry interaction. In the US, the National Science Foundation (NSF) was set up in 1950 to provide the federal strategy towards science and technology. In the UK, the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) oversees the function of maintaining and enhancing the research capabilities of British universities in all areas of pure and applied science and engineering, outside those covered by the more specialised research councils. Japan, on the other hand displayed more personal and informal interactions between industry and academia. Some success factors that arise from the case studies include the presence of a university of distinction, an entrepreneurial community and the presence of highly motivated and talented people within the component organisations. However, university-industry linkages plans lacking in focus and those with a clear absence of incentives are some pitfalls to avoid. In essence, there really is no single element responsible for successful partnerships, but rather a combination of factors that provide the "conducive environment" for successful proliferation of university-industry linkages. The final objective involves an examination of where Singapore stands in her bid to promote university industry linkages. A review of the establishment dates of research institutes and centres in the universities reveal that most of them were set up in the last five years. As such, linkages between the university and industry are still very much in an infant stage and it is somewhat early to form excessively high expectations of her.