Working partnerships: the challenge of creating mutual benefit for academics and industry

Networks and partnerships between higher education institutions and industry have been identified as a primary means of addressing higher education's role in economic development, globally and in South Africa. This article draws on one component of a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) study to provide an empirically based overview of the benefits of partnership as perceived by academics and research managers in South Africa and, more importantly, to consider if it is possible for academics to pursue partnerships in a strategic manner that is mutually beneficial to industry and higher education partners. It is argued that in pursuing new forms of network partnerships in a strategic manner, and by limiting the scale of the old forms of consultancy and contract partnerships (those with potential restrictions), universities are more likely to be able to achieve the kinds of academic, financial and national developmental benefits that they value, rather than being driven primarily by financial imperatives.