Co-ownership Active Interfaces between Academia and Industry

This paper explores, after a brief review of the relevant literature, the characteristics of a co-ownership active interface in which the authors are involved. It is asserted that this interface, creative and idiosyncratic by its learning-by-doing outlook, provides a new cooperation platform for technological co-development and knowledge sharing. Linkages between academia and industry lack vitality and they are hampered by unequal expectations. Cooperation between the two sides faces dissimilar mind frames and objectives, and lacks mutual confidence built upon long-term, regular partnerships. Various approaches to university–industry collaboration are called for, desirably rooted in regional characteristics and allowing for cultural idiosyncrasies. In this paper, we claim that the case under analysis, where both strategic and tactical aspects are agreed upon jointly by academics and firms, provides a sound solution for efficient university–industry cooperation initiatives.