Reverse Sabbaticals 2.0: A framework and research agenda for bi-directional industry–academia collaboration (IAC) centered on curriculum co-creation

This paper presents Reverse Sabbaticals 2.0, a curriculum-centered framework designed to address persistent gaps between academic instruction and evolving industry requirements. Although universities and industries collaborate through internships, guest lectures, sponsored research, and technology transfer, these interactions rarely influence the design of core curricula. Reverse Sabbaticals 2.0 proposes structured two-way exchanges between faculty and industry professionals to enable curriculum co creation and applied learning. The model organizes participation across three tiers of engagement; Engage, Embed, and Elevate and two participation tracks involving faculty externships in industry and practitioner participation in academic roles. The framework is informed by a systematic review of 28 peer-reviewed studies supported by bibliometric mapping and expert consultation. Building on principles of experiential learning and collaborative curriculum design, the paper also outlines a research agenda across six domains to guide future empirical testing and institutional implementation of structured academia–industry collaboration.