Exploring the Dimensions of University-Company Collaborations: Research, Talent, and Beyond

This paper explores the benefits of university-company collaborations beyond research and talent – primarily from a US and Canadian perspective. Company connections to specific universities may initially be based on research relationships or talent acquisition needs. Additional collaborative dimensions may include marketing, sales, public policy, local economic development, and philanthropy. University-company partnerships are complex and fragile. To build effective and enduring partnerships, we describe collaboration scenarios to: incubate collaborations, connect experts, assess and communicate collaborative value, and grow relationships. The paper presents a set of recommended activities to achieve a greater sustained impact for innovation and learning: orchestrate collaborative events, measure and track results, facilitate learning, catalyze research through philanthropy, leverage regional development and government incentives, incubate a collaborative ecosystem, and make collaboration results more visible and actionable.