Narro R. Navarro, Ph.D.
Quality Manager, Universal Testing Laboratory and Inspection Inc.
KEYWORDS
Collaboration, Resource Dependency, Systems Theory
ABSTRACT
This study explored the factors and constraints that promote and hinder collaboration. Taking a perspective on knowledge interaction, this project explored how formal collaborative relationships between industry and academic based environments emerge and develop, focusing on the factors, constraints, measures and common areas and scenarios of industry and academe. The study is anchored on the theory of Resource Dependency and Systems Theory.
The study covered two manufacturing sectors and two higher educational institutions offering engineering from the province of Laguna and Batangas. Most of the respondents were senior managers and professors. As per the Industry, the major factors that contribute to the development of collaboration includes accessibility to competencies, to highly qualified workers (recruitment), to innovative technologies and knowledge sharing as they received very relevant responses. On the part of the academe, the factors include matching, institutional capability building, income generation project and student immersion opportunities.
The predominant constraint is the lack of proper mechanisms to facilitate effective collaborations. Other significant obstacles include an apparent lack of the entrepreneurial spirit among academics, the low commercialization potential of academic research, incompatibility of academic structures with the needs of collaboration, and a lack of awareness of facilities and expertise available in the academe.
The key conclusion of the study is that both industry and academe are aware of the importance of industry collaboration and are increasingly willing to finance such collaboration. However, there are no academic departments receiving funds from external sources and they mainly rely on the budget from the institution. The industry‘s perception of the funds to be allocated for industry-academe collaboration is higher compared to that of the academe. The survey findings also show an enhanced emphasis on deeper and more demanding types of collaboration, such as joint R&D activities, prototype testing, and spin-offs, even though these remain relatively uncommon. This has happened in spite of the perception among academics that access to high-quality laboratories and other R&D facilities at their academic institution is very low.
It is strongly recommended to both sectors that build more awareness, to have commitment and vision, strengthen communication and to have a mutual trust on the capability of one another.
Enderun Colleges Scholarly Review, Volume 3, Issue 2.
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