Academic-Industry Collaboration

Abstract

The collaborative networks between university, industry, and government are key sources of innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development. Specifically, studies have focused on how to transfer university expertise to commercially applicable innovation through academic and industry networking. This chapter provides new insight into university and industry collaboration practices from a case study of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) and the University at Buffalo-State University of New York in the U.S. The sample of scientists surveyed shows that collaboration is actively pursued by scientists at the consortium. The collaborative networks of scientists, access to federal funding, and infrastructural support through institutional coordination locally contribute to innovative translational research. Joint research, contract research, and consulting agreement are major forms of university-industry collaborative practices. In addition, the collaboration with industry correlates with scientists' academic productivity as well as entrepreneurial outcomes.