Leveraging University Competitiveness: Evidence from Alliance Portfolio Practices at Zhejiang University

ABSTRACTIn the context of an emerging economy, how does a university choose an appropriate model for its relations with industry and maintain effective collaboration for the purpose of innovation? We provide a strategic analysis of the various organizational alliances and the construction of alliance portfolio, from the integration of resource-based view and institution-based view. Our study focuses on the case of alliance portfolio practices of Zhejiang University—involving the Zijin Innovation Town, the Collaborative Innovative Center, and the Transnational Alliance—and discusses the implications of engaging in an alliance portfolio to leverage university competitiveness, with the evidence learned from its alliance portfolio practice which highlights the coordination of resources and institutions of universities.