There is a lot of work done on the third mission, knowledge triangle and triple helix which postulate that universities research should be more aligned to industrial application but the best methods of implementing this are unclear. This track looks at the current findings.
Track Title: University-Industry owned Joint Laboratories: A new hype?
Dr Dirk Meissner, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics. LinkedIn.
What do you think are the most disruptive influences impacting developments in your track?
There is an ongoing debate about the impact of universities on technology and innovation by means of assigning the third mission to universities especially. Joint laboratories are one possible channel of generating measurable impact form university research on industrial innovation activities.
However although such joint laboratories are in place for a while there is little knowledge about the practical operations of them and the related management of such institutions. Instead there is an increasing interest by policy actors and funding agencies to establish more laboratories which are jointly operated by universities and industry which leads to high expectations by all stakeholders on these and accordingly significant funding is allocated although the outcome remains questionable. A more profound understanding of joint laboratories management is thus a valuable asset.
Can you describe some recent findings in this area that are of interest to you personally?
There is a lot of work done on the third mission, knowledge triangle and triple helix which postulate that universities research should be more aligned to industrial application. Increasingly universities respond to this by developing strategies to demonstrate and leverage their impact.
These strategic documents however are nice papers to write and read – implementation and management of such initiatives remains rather vague. It seems that the underlying motivation of university researchers to engage in such joint activities is an important driver for the eventual success and sustainability. Thus a common sense of the university and industry partner is required to make a joint initiative a lasting successful event.
It’s most interesting to understand what the real motivations and drivers for both sides are, how this changes over the time joint laboratories exist, how value is generated and leveraged.
From industry perspective it might be assumed that joint laboratories are also an instrument for Human Resource Management, namely HR development. This management field is especially interesting
If someone was new to this topic what would you suggest they read to get a quick overview of the issues?
Literature on Knowledge Triangle and Triple Helix, especially on entrepreneurial universities are a good starting point for this topic. Also related research management works are helpful for newcomers to the topic.
About: Dr Dirk Meissner, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/29168706
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=o0AvEn8AAAAJ
University-Industry owned Joint Laboratories: A new hype? is one of the tracks at the 2021 R&D Management Conference being hosted by the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, from 7 – 8th July 2021- see more information here.
