Explaining the Generation and Performance of Intersector Technology Cooperation: A Survey of the Literature

Intersector technology cooperation (ITC) has been growing dramatically in recent years. Why do companies, universities and Federal laboratories initiate such cooperation, and what makes them succeed? This paper analyzes the factors that impinge on the generation and performance of industry-university and industry-Federal laboratories cooperation. Drawing on current research, this article shows that the factors affecting decisions to initiate cooperation are different from those that measure success. Lessons learned from these findings are discussed and implications given for companies either considering or already in such cooperation.