Collaborations between businesses and academic institutions serve a variety of goals, each of which is based on a different set of incentives. The following are the key justifications for entering into a relationship for academic institutions and commercial partners:
An understanding of the other partner's motivations exists in a successful industry-institution partnership. According to the traditional understanding of the industry-institution collaboration, the academic researcher "goes for publication" and the business "goes for patent.
One does not, however, preclude the other. We at CIRT think it's critical to identify shared interests in a particular field, pinpoint activities where partners need one another, and come to an agreement on the modalities by which each partner protects its own interests (for instance, frequently focusing on publication and intellectual property rights).
We at CIRT have discovered that these relationships require alignment of expectations, for which a solid basis may be created during the construction process. Recognizing and appreciating the many motives and drivers as early as feasible while cooperating to develop the proper mentality is essential for success.