Page 112 - A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers: Reinforcing the Innovation-Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean

112 REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REINFORCING THE INNOVATION-EMPLOYABILITY NEXUS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 113

Policies promoting science-industry collaboration of innovation programmes which are co-funded Conclusion
by European Regional Development Funds,
including a start-up support, an industrial PhD Like research excellence initiatives, public-private
Governments play a key role as facilitators for private and public research competences at a programme, seed funding for knowledge industry
collaboration and innovation processes at all single location; (b) it has a medium- to long-term projects, support for networks and clusters, and partnerships should be supported by significant
levels. Policies promoting science-industry co- perspective; and (c) it builds on a reliable public- certification for tech transfer centres, to name funding over a long period of time, providing
creation focus on fostering more intense modes of private partnership. Following the selection made just a few. These instruments are developed and that their ambition is to deliver innovation that
research collaboration through creating enabling in 2012, a total of nine research campuses are administered through the Catalan agency for addresses important societal challenges. The
framework conditions for both academia and currently funded, for a period of up to 15 years business competitiveness, ACCIO. success of these initiatives depends to a large
industry. These include initiatives such as long- (until 2027), with the possibility of extending extent on the capacity of university and research
term funding, tax incentives and shared facilities. it further through a follow-up programme. centres to work with industry, creating a mutual
The collaborative research projects might also The research campuses represent a new type benefit. Existing collaborative experiences and
involve public institutions and civil society of research structure in the German system, FROM AD HOC TO trust between the partners are key success
organisations. where researchers from universities, research factors for a fruitful, long-term relationship and
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institutes and companies work ‘under one roof’. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS positive outcomes . Ultimately, the success
A well-established approach to promoting While several companies – including SMEs – of these programmes depends on the parties’
science-industry collaboration has been to must participate in a research campus, large University collaborations are first and ability to develop a mutual benefit and a good
provide financial grants to research projects, multinational companies are the main driving foremost established by individual understanding, to enable the centres’ continuity
conditional on the establishment of consortia force. The research campuses operate under researchers or company staff and focus on after the public funding phase expires. Over the
between academia and industry. Through various forms of organisation and contracts, specific needs identified by those individuals. course of the programme, the research centres
the EU neighbours programme, the MedUP! depending on their specific needs. This means that collaboration partners are develop new research methods, skills, and
Project is one such collaboration, promoting likely chosen based on personal networks competences, as well as obtain new equipment
an enabling environment in the Southern The Swedish Strategic Innovation Programmes in that the rationale for partner selection and infrastructure, which are highly valued by the
Mediterranean partner countries (Egypt, Jordan, (SIP) initiative (https://www.vinnova.se/en/m/ is familiarity between individuals rather industrial partners.
Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia) for strategic-innovation-programmes/) is based on than a good fit between the two (or more)
the development of the social entrepreneurship a different approach. It features larger consortia organisations. Although this may lead to
sector as a driver for inclusive growth and job of various actors (universities, companies, civil positive outcomes, from the perspective of
creation. Over the years, these collaborative society organisations and government agencies), the organisation, the university collaboration
grants have been implemented quite broadly, and and a more explicit focus on finding sustainable is limited to the specific project (typically
now rank among the most relevant innovation solutions for national and global challenges. The within a business unit). From the university
policy instruments across OECD countries in first step of the programme consisted of a bottom- or research centre perspective, individual INSTITUTIONAL AMBIDEXTERITY
researchers and their students gain a source
terms of relative budget . up process, where key actors of the innovation of funding, insight into relevant problems,
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system worked together to formulate ‘strategic and opportunities to access novel assets or While the aspirations of university-industry partnerships
Beyond collaborative research grants, policies research agendas’ (SIAs) through widespread partners. Although these might lead to many can be easily described, it is often challenging to establish
and run these partnerships effectively, even when the
can also support longer-term co-creation consultative processes involving large numbers collaborations, there are few synergies. resources are available. The challenge is amplified in an
relationships by developing joint laboratories of relevant actors. The second stage consisted of Opportunities for broader engagement and ecosystem where the various stakeholders operate with
between academia and industry. Such private- inviting proposals for SIPs within the areas defined impact are lost. Large corporations and their own ambitions and logics. These need to be properly
public partnerships targeting the joint generation by those SIAs. Sixteen SIPs have been selected leading academic institutions are moving aligned to achieve impact and avoid frustration that derive
of knowledge are increasingly supported by to date. Once initiated, the SIPs are responsible towards more strategic partnerships in from marked differences in culture and governance .
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policymakers 101,102 and have also become more for launching calls for project proposals (one or which relationships are no longer simply Whereas academic culture is characterised by a high degree
attractive to firms adopting open innovation two calls every year for each SIP) and overseeing based on personal connections. In fact, of distributed autonomy and governance, corporate culture
tends to emphasise central decision making and strategic
strategies 103,104 . They are often referred to as the implementation of the resulting projects. The companies have started to use company- alignment . But even if the cultural divide between academia
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‘collaborative research centres’. Given their programmes also conduct a small number of wide master research agreements to create and industry runs deep, it can be overcome through strong
strategic, long-term, open-ended scope, they ‘strategic projects’, which are usually larger and transparency in their collaboration activities, leadership, incentives, structures, and boundary spanners
are closely related to the notion of ‘centres of organised through a more direct process, without improve their negotiating positions, that can operate in both ‘worlds’ (institutional ambidexterity),
excellence’. Even if the boundaries are blurred, issuing an open call. SIPs organise regular (e.g. accelerate the deployment of projects, and focusing on the possible benefits of operating across
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the distinctive feature of co-creation (compared to annual) consultations with their members and encourage interfaculty collaboration on coexisting and contradictory logics .
excellence initiatives) is the partnership formed stakeholders in order to continuously assess topics of shared interest .
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between academia and industry to fund, manage needs and priorities, as well as industry fairs and
and implement the centre’s research activities. workshops on specific topics of interest to the
community.
A good example of this is the German Research
Campus initiative (www.forschungscampus. Another good example is in Barcelona, where the
bmbf.de) which meets three criteria: (a) it merges regional government has developed a wide array