Paper Short Abstract

Bridging the gap between academia and industry is key to maximising the societal impact of research. However, there is limited evidence on how to do this effectively. This handbook presents experimental ideas to address barriers related to motivation, capabilities, resources and matching.

Paper Abstract

Bridging the gap between academia and industry is essential to maximise the societal impact of the knowledge generated in research institutions. However, policymakers across the OECD frequently highlight the insufficient levels of science commercialisation and business-university collaboration. There is a prevailing belief that significant value remains untapped, and that more can be done to ensure scientific discoveries lead to greater societal impact. While numerous activities aim to address this gap, evidence of their effectiveness remains limited.

Experimental research methods, such as randomised controlled trials (RCTs), can help organisations to generate better evidence and develop more effective programmes. Yet it remains uncommon to see knowledge valorisation activities tested in a rigorous way – the scientific method is seldom applied to science commercialisation activities.

This handbook offers a compilation of experimental ideas to address common barriers in the science commercialisation journey. Specifically, it presents experimental ideas tackling motivation, capabilities, resources, and the matching process from both the researcher and business perspectives. These ideas aim to inspire and guide policymakers, programme implementers, and researchers in developing and evaluating their strategies to increase university-industry collaboration and foster a more dynamic innovation ecosystem.

For the full handbook see: https://www.innovationgrowthlab.org/resources/experimenting-with-university-industry-collaboration