Motivations for collaborating with industry: has public policy influenced new academics in Argentina?

ABSTRACT

Between 2005 and 2015 a series of science, technology and innovation policies were deployed in Argentina among which academic research collaborations with industry was particularly fostered. This paper studies the effect of those policies on newer researchers, defined as those with PhD or postdoctoral scholarships, looking at their motivations to collaborate and, to some extent, at their actual collaborations with Industry. Our hypothesis is that those policies had a positive effect on young academics’ perception of collaborations with industry, now conceived as a dimension of their job, and also on actual collaborations. To conduct our study, we used an original database constructed from an online survey answered by more than 600 newer researchers. Empirical results partly confirm our hypothesis: a direct policy encouraging collaborations by providing collaborative grants was not associated with actual collaborations, while orienting research towards strategic areas – defined by the Science and Technology Ministry- is.

KEYWORDS:

• Public policy
• academic research-industry collaborations
• new academics
• motivations
• Argentina

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 This period corresponds to the governments of Nestor Kirchner and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. The first years of Nestor Kirchner’s administration were focused on solving the economic, political and social crisis. It was not until 2005 that STI policies took off.

2 National Universities in Argentina are public although autonomous institutions.

3 In the following years, R&D in terms of GDP dropped to 0.62 in 2013 and 0.59 in 2014, due to tighter public budgets.

4 Retrieved from http://www.mincyt.gob.ar/ministerio-presentacion last accessed 3rd February 2017.

5 Retrieved from: http://www.agencia.mincyt.gob.ar/frontend/agencia/post/1539, last accessed 18th April 2017.

6 Research in Argentina is structured according five fields: ‘Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Materials’, ‘Life and Health Sciences’, ‘Exact and Natural Sciences’, ‘Social Sciences and Humanities’ and ‘Technology’.

7 It may be said that young fellows are not aware of all the funds their institution enjoys and thus results could be inaccurate. However, two facts ensures that this information is available for them: (1) the structure of research institutions in Argentina, which generally include a young fellows’ representative in the laboratory board (that later informs other young fellows) and (2) young fellows’ personal information is needed to apply for grants in Argentina. Anyway, fellows that did not know an answer could simply state that in the survey.

8 Retrieved from: http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/universidad/index-2012-10-05.html, 15th November 2017.