University-industry collaboration: Grafting the entrepreneurial paradigm onto academic structures

Purpose - The paper aims to identify the requisite attributes and organisation to be displayed by a research university in order to engage successfully in collaborative research with industry partners. Design/methodology/approach - The conceptual framework contrasts the traditional public funding model against the requirements of the "triple helix" model of government-university-industry research funding. The framework supports the exploration of a case study of a long-standing and successful joint research partnership, the Dundee-Kinases Consortium, which links a world-class life sciences research centre and a group of global pharmaceutical companies. Research limitations/implications - The case study provides a starting point, and additional case examinations will confirm the role of resource competences and organisational capabilities in facilitating performance by way of knowledge generation and transfer between partners. Findings - The design and leadership of the consortium achieves vital performance outcomes, namely: accelerating the production of new knowledge about cell signalling processes relating to serious diseases; and faster transfer of new knowledge into drug development processes of pharmaceutical companies. The development of key enabling capabilities by the university, allied with routines for academic-industry researcher interface, are essential elements of the partnering design. Originality/value - The paper demonstrates that university-industry partnerships build on government- university funding, that university-industry relationships foster new university capabilities, and moreover, that academic publication is not displaced by the requirements of industry partners.