Connecting with industry: bridging the divide

Abstract

The shifting funding climate in Australian higher education encourages universities to enter into research partnerships with industry. Yet, studies of industries' experiences of their research links with universities are rare. Consequently, research managers often find themselves attempting to promote and facilitate industry engagement with universities while knowing relatively little about the nature of such relationships. This article, which explores the barriers to sustainable research partnerships between universities and industry, identifies the ‘cultural gap’ between academia and industry as a significant impediment to successful collaborations. Many of the university researchers in this case study had a fairly accurate understanding of industry motivations, needs and expectations, and valuable insights into how the cultural divide between industry and academia might be bridged. It would be prudent to draw upon their expertise when putting strategies, policies and mechanisms in place to increase the attractiveness to industry of engaging with academia.

Keywords:

• higher education
• industry
• research funding
• research partnerships