Abstract
There is extensive literature on university–firm links but it is mostly based on empirical evidence from advanced countries, emerging economies and developing countries that already have certain capabilities of the public research system and an important set of mature firms (of different sizes and even some exporters). This explains the use of a set of channels of interactions based on knowledge generation activities. In the case of African countries, the two agents that interact have specific characteristics, which affect the bases of their interactions. This paper explores the channels of interactions between university and the productive sector (not only firms) in the context of a small country such as Cabo Verde, and elaborates policy implications in terms of a sequential path of evolution of the channels from the existing interaction based on the formation of human resources to one that is more knowledge based.