Universities have long been involved in knowledge transfer activities and are increasing their efforts to collaborate with industry. However, universities vary enormously in the extent to which they promote, and succeed in commercializing, academic research. In this paper, we focus on the concept of cognitive distance, intended as differences in the sets of basic values, norms and mental models in universities and firms. We assess the impact of cognitive distance on university-industry collaborations. Based on original data from interviews with 197 university departments in Italy, our analysis determines whether cognitive distance is perceived as a barrier to university-industry interactions, and esti- mates its effects on the frequency of their collaborations. Our results confirm that cogni- tive, albeit not affecting the probability of departments to collaborate with firms, significantly hinders the frequency of interactions.
The effects of cognitive distance in university-industry collaborations: some evidence from Italian universities
MUSCIO, ALESSANDRO;
2013-01-01
Abstract
Universities have long been involved in knowledge transfer activities and are increasing their efforts to collaborate with industry. However, universities vary enormously in the extent to which they promote, and succeed in commercializing, academic research. In this paper, we focus on the concept of cognitive distance, intended as differences in the sets of basic values, norms and mental models in universities and firms. We assess the impact of cognitive distance on university-industry collaborations. Based on original data from interviews with 197 university departments in Italy, our analysis determines whether cognitive distance is perceived as a barrier to university-industry interactions, and esti- mates its effects on the frequency of their collaborations. Our results confirm that cogni- tive, albeit not affecting the probability of departments to collaborate with firms, significantly hinders the frequency of interactions.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
