University-Industry Strategic Alliances: Management Framework and Case Study Investigation

Strategic alliances provide companies with a mechanism for enhanced knowledge transfer leading to improved products, and for universities, there can be access to sustainable funding sources for research. However, certain challenges exist in developing and managing these alliances, including contractual agreements being fit for purpose and ensuring academic research is relevant to industrial requirements. Following a literature review, a management framework has been developed that is based on the need for alignment between companies and universities in three core areas, namely technical, commercial and social. This alignment mechanism will be explored through a case study investigation of a strategic alliance between a university and an industrial organization. Findings include a need for a robust commercial approach including management of intellectual property; alliance governance arrangements and performance measurement; management across boundaries; and the importance of companies’ absorptive capacity.