Aalborg Universitet Industry-University Collaboration in Different Types of Regions the Role Played by Non-Metropolitan Universi
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Aalborg Universitet Industry-university collaboration in different types of regions The role played by non-metropolitan university actions, graduate employment and external knowledge sourcing in industry-university collaboration Guerrero, David Fernandez Publication date: 2020 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication from Aalborg University Citation for published version (APA): Guerrero, D. F. (2020). Industry-university collaboration in different types of regions: The role played by non- metropolitan university actions, graduate employment and external knowledge sourcing in industry-university collaboration. Aalborg Universitetsforlag. Aalborg Universitet. Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet. Ph.D.- Serien General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. ? Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. ? You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain ? You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us at [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from vbn.aau.dk on: October 05, 2021 INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF REGIONS OF TYPES DIFFERENT IN COLLABORATION INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF REGIONS THE ROLE PLAYED BY NON-METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY ACTIONS, GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT AND EXTERNAL KNOWLEDGE SOURCING IN INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION BY DAVID FERNÁNDEZ GUERRERO DISSERTATION SUBMITTED 2020 DAVID FERNÁNDEZ GUERRERO FERNÁNDEZ DAVID INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF REGIONS THE ROLE PLAYED BY NON-METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY ACTIONS, GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT AND EXTERNAL KNOWLEDGE SOURCING IN INDUSTRY- UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION by David Fernández Guerrero Dissertation submitted May 2020 . Dissertation submitted: May 12, 2020 PhD supervisor: Associate Prof. Ina Drejer, Aalborg University Co-supervisor: Full Prof. Artur Da Rosa Pires, University of Aveiro (Portugal) PhD committee: Associate Professor Allan Næs Gjerding (chair.) Aalborg University Research Fellow Pablo D’Este INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) Polytechnic University of Valencia Associate Professor Valentina Tartari Copenhagen Business School PhD Series: Faculty of Social Sciences, Aalborg University ISSN (online): 2246-1256 ISBN (online): 978-87-7210-643-4 Published by: Aalborg University Press Langagervej 2 DK – 9220 Aalborg Ø Phone: +45 99407140 [email protected] forlag.aau.dk © Copyright: David Fernández Guerrero Printed in Denmark by Rosendahls, 2020 Standard pages: 246 pages (2,400 characters incl. spaces). CV David Fernández Guerrero Aalborg University Department of Business and Management Fibigerstræde 11 [email protected] Education 2013 – 2014 Master in Journalism, UAM-El País Journalism School 2011 – 2012 Msc in Sociology, specialisation in Comparative Organisation and Labour Studies, University of Amsterdam Research 2017-present PhD Research Fellow, Aalborg University Interests Industry-university collaboration, geography of innovation Publications • Guerrero, D.F., 2020. Industry–university collaboration in rural and metropolitan regions: What is the role of graduate employment and external non-university knowledge? Journal of Rural Studies, Special Issue on Innovation in Peripheries and Borderlands (In Press, Corrected Proof). DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.03.007 • Guerrero, D. F., & Evers, G. (forthcoming). Co-creation of Localised Capabilities between Universities and Nascent Industries: The Case of Aalborg University and the North Denmark Region. Chapter in a book on The Role of Universities in Regional Development and Innovation. 3 INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF REGIONS 4 ENGLISH SUMMARY Since the 1980s, policymakers have promoted universities’ involvement in regional economic development. Increasingly since then, universities have been incentivised to develop a range of third-mission activities to transfer their knowledge to local firms, adapting their educational and research activities to support innovation in regional firms in the process. At the same time, increasing regional disparities in innovative activity and economic development suggest that policies promoting collaboration between universities and regional firms should be suited to different types of regions; factors that are relevant to industry–university collaboration in one type of region might not be as relevant in another type of region. Thus, the present thesis addresses the following research question: To what extent do the roles of key factors associated with university–industry collaboration differ across types of regions? This thesis includes a synopsis and four papers; pointing to a range of factors whose roles in industry–university collaboration vary across different types of regions. The thesis suggests that the positive association between firms’ employment of university graduates and industry-university collaboration is stronger among firms in rural regions than among firms in other types of regions; the knowledge of university research that is provided by graduate employees allows firms in rural/peripheral regions to collaborate with universities, despite being farther away from universities than are firms in more densely populated regions. Also, certain forms of external knowledge sourcing—firms’ collaboration with research and technology organisations—appear less likely to be related with industry–university collaboration among firms in non-metropolitan regions that are home to universities compared to firms in other types of regions. Among firms in such regions, however, the desire to satisfy international customers incentivises them to develop their links with universities into collaborative research. Universities in non-metropolitan regions are also key actors in the establishment of industry–university links; these universities do so by supporting the development of new industries, and by approaching new SME partners in their home regions. These findings have the potential to inspire a range of policy actions. On the university side, policies that provide financial support to non-metropolitan universities’ regional engagement activities can further incentivise their inclination to devote educational, research and third-mission activities to regional development. On the firm side, policies should be designed with an eye on the incentives and goals of firms in different types of regions when starting and developing collaborations with universities. Based on the findings, it is possible to point to existing schemes that could be suited to increase the incentives of firms in rural regions for collaborating with universities. These policies would include increased financial incentives to firms 5 INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF REGIONS in rural regions that wish to hire university graduates, and to firms in rural regions that wish to purchase research services from universities and RTOs. 6 DANSK RESUME Siden 1980'erne har der været fokus på at fremme universiteternes engagement i regional økonomisk udvikling. Siden da har universiteterne fået flere incitamenter til at udvikle tredje–missions-aktiviteter rettet mod vidensoverførsel til lokale virksomheder og tilpasning af deres uddannelses- og forskningsaktiviteter med henblik på at understøtte innovation i regionale virksomheder. Samtidig indikerer stigende regionale forskelle i innovationsaktivitet og økonomisk udvikling, at tiltag, der fremmer samarbejde mellem universiteter og regionale virksomheder, bør tilpasses til forskellige typer af regioner: faktorer, der er relevante for industri- universitets-samarbejde i én type region, er ikke nødvendigvis lige så relevante i en anden type region. Derfor undersøger nærværende afhandling følgende forskningsspørgsmål: I hvilket omfang varierer centrale faktorers betydning for industri-universitets- samarbejde mellem forskellige mellem typer af regioner? Denne afhandling omfatter en kappe og fire artikler; der analyserer en række faktorer, hvis rolle i relation til industri-universitets-samarbejde varierer på tværs af forskellige typer regioner. Afhandlingen indikerer, at den positive forbindelse mellem virksomheders ansættelse af universitetsuddannede medarbejdere og industri- universitets-samarbejde er stærkere for virksomheder beliggende i landdistrikter end for virksomheder i andre regioner. Den viden om universitetsforskning, som medarbejdere med en universitetsgrad besidder, giver virksomheder i landdistrikter / perifere regioner mulighed for at samarbejde med universiteter, på trods af at de er beliggende længere væk fra universiteterne end virksomheder i mere tætbefolkede regioner. Desuden peger afhandlingen på, at samarbejde med teknologiske serviceinstitutter blandt virksomheder beliggende i universitetsregioner uden for de allerstørste byer i mindre grad er forbundet med industri-universitets-samarbejde sammenlignet med virksomheder i beliggende andre typer af regioner. Blandt virksomheder beliggende i universitetsregioner uden