A Broader View of University-Industry Relationships

Introduction Probably no subject has attracted the attention of research administrators during the past two decades as much as university-industry relationships, if the number of SRA publications on the topic may be taken as a measure. Charmaine Judy Streharsky, in her recent scholarly article (1993), cites the frequency of such citations up to 1988, and the more recent cumulative Subject Index of the SRA Journal (Balderston, 1993) confirms the continuation of this trend. Upon examination, however, it appears that a preponderance of these articles deals with the somewhat limited area of industry funding of university research and related issues such as patent rights and publication policies. While such funding is unquestionably of major importance in sustaining the vital role of academic research, particularly in light of potentially sharp curtailment of federal support, relatively little consideration has been given to the benefits gained by cooperating in areas other than research projects. Dr. Joseph R. Battenburg, as far back as 1981, first in an address to SRA at its 14th Annual Meeting and in a subsequent article in the SRA Journal (1981), discussed forging links between industry and the academic world. Such links, while including the obvious one of directly sponsored research, also included industrial liaison programs such as those at M.I.T., participation in consortia, design participation programs, innovation center involvement, industry advisory councils, periodic seminars and short courses, sabbatical opportunities, consulting relationships, and part-time or summer employment. A rereading of Dr. Battenburg's article may be a good starting point in considering how industry and academia may work together, to their mutual advantage, without compromise to the ethical standards of either. Complementary Roles It is true that industry and academia have different objectives. This, however, does not imply that their goals are necessarily antagonistic. Indeed, the very existence of untold numbers of satisfactory working arrangements serves to deny this premise. If we can agree on two basic principles, they will serve as a basis for an expanded view of university-industry relationships. These principles are (1) that there is no basic conflict between the roles of industry and academia, and (2) that the role of the university is to teach and perform basic research, while the role of industry is to use the products of such research to develop and market products that improve the public's welfare. Within such a frame of reference, and without compromising basic principles, it is apparent that anything that can strengthen the university-industry relationship can also benefit not only the organizations directly involved but society as a whole. This fact is recognized in many other countries, to their ultimate advantage. Many of us who participated about 10 years ago in a Person-to-Person tour of research facilities in England, Sweden, Switzerland, [West] Germany, and even Poland, which was then still behind the Iron Curtain, were impressed with the cooperative attitude that existed between industry and academia almost everywhere we traveled. I have written previously (Bolton, 1989) about UniQuest, an organization at the University of Queensland in Australia, which was established to provide links with the industrial community. Indeed, we need look no further than Canada to find a much friendlier relationship between these two arms of the vital research effort. Examples of Cooperation Bringing leading scientists from industry to campus in a adjunct capacity, for example, can provide students with access to leading-edge thinking and technology in their fields of interest - access they would not otherwise obtain until after graduation, if then. There are also examples of scientists from industry serving as research advisors to graduate students, and even using the facilities of the industrial laboratory for the research, when appropriate. …