University autonomy offers real value in industry linkages

In the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education and technological advancement, cooperation between universities and industries has emerged as a cornerstone of innovation and societal progress. While this relationship often garners attention for its potential to generate revenue for universities, its implications and benefits extend far beyond financial gains.

The growing speed of innovation could be taken as a cliché if it were not something that knocks on the door of academia, both from a teaching and research point of view. Various kinds of extramural education programmes, often private ones run by market companies themselves, have launched, attracting students through the prospective employment and hands-on experience they offer.

Industry-specific knowledge

Similar trends have emerged in some fields of research where the generation of frontier knowledge is no longer limited to academia.

The 2024 Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry for AI development and its applications for protein structure solution partly went to Google or ex-Google researchers, causing quite a ripple in the academic community.

Universities cannot and should not stop their competitors from producing relevant educational programmes or frontier science, but they can benefit from it by engaging in partnerships with industry.

Only through such collaborations can they get access to industry-specific knowledge that often remains unpublished.

Corporations accumulate vast repositories of practical insights while developing technologies, offering a unique opportunity for academic institutions to leverage this knowledge.

By creating and cultivating such partnerships, academics get first-hand experience of the industry’s needs that can be translated into updating their educational curriculum and can impart practical skills, ensuring their students are better prepared for the jobs market, enhancing their employability.

This is particularly important in postgraduate education, where university masters’ degrees risk obsolescence if they fail to align with industry standards.

Together with science engagement, industrial cooperation contributes to the university’s so-called ‘third mission’, which extends beyond education and research to include societal engagement and real-world impact.

By integrating industry perspectives, universities remain connected to the broader socio-economic landscape and contribute to addressing pressing tasks of global importance, such as sustainability and public health.

An independent perspective

It is not, however, a one-way street; there are significant benefits from the other side too.

Direct collaborations with universities provide industry with quick access to a pool of highly skilled individuals and cutting-edge research facilities. Furthermore, universities are the only entities that can and are even obliged to provide a truly independent perspective, serving as a neutral sounding board for testing and refining ideas.

This independence, when preserved, fosters innovative solutions that might not emerge within the constraints of corporate environments. Through partnerships, companies can benefit from university-led research, which addresses problems ranging from low-technology readiness levels (TRL) to more market-ready applications.

This symbiosis is particularly evident in areas like sustainable energy and healthcare, where collaboration accelerates the journey from theoretical research to real-world solutions.

Perhaps the most significant beneficiary of university-industry partnerships is a third party: society at large. These collaborations can yield transformative innovations at an impressively accelerated pace, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, where unprecedented cooperation between academia and industry expedited vaccine development.

Such examples highlight how these partnerships (and probably only them) can tackle urgent global crises effectively.

Bridging different worlds

So perfect on paper, real-life university-industry collaborations are not an easy walk, which is, in a way, an inherent feature: bridging different worlds is not a smooth operation unless they are not that different.

First of all, the sheer goal-setting system and, consequently, the timelines and working culture are utterly different. Universities often operate on less structured timelines and emphasise exploratory research, while industries are driven by rigid deadlines and focused objectives.

Additionally, administrative hurdles within universities can slow down the initiation and progress of collaborations, especially during the initial trust-building phase. This misalignment can create friction, as industries often demand outcomes during a certain timespan, whereas academic research requires time and flexibility.

To make this work, universities have to take a step forward and adopt a different mindset for industrial cooperation projects and also hire people with industry experience on their team.

Last but not least, intellectual property is another frequent point of contention.

While companies often seek exclusive rights to the patents resulting from collaborations, universities aim to retain recognition and credit either for themselves or for their researchers so they can create startups and spin-offs.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this issue, but awareness is half of the solution: if clear contracts are established that address IP ownership, revenue sharing and researcher participation in profits from the beginning, it is a good starting point for mitigating these disputes.

Foundations for success

University-industry partnerships are not without obstacles, ranging from differing goals to intellectual property disputes and working culture differences.

There is a general assumption that industry funding can jeopardise the independence of research, as the industry partner is seeking certain results. But we believe that university autonomy in this case is a strong cementing factor that helps such collaborations to move on, and the value of this should be communicated to industry partners.

Public universities are the only entities that can provide truly independent expertise, and its value is paramount. Universities must maintain their ability to conduct unbiased research and offer impartial opinion, free from excessive corporate and political influence.

This independence is not only crucial for ensuring academic integrity but also for fostering trust among all stakeholders – be they researchers, students, industries or society.

And successful university-industry cooperation takes time and patience. Cooperation between Professor Evgeny Pidko’s research group and Janssen Pharmaceutica started 12 years ago, when he was not yet at Delft University of Technology and his counterpart had not yet joined Janssen. At that time, Pidko invited his future collaborator to join the advisory board of one of his research projects.

Over the years, their eventual and relatively modest cooperation evolved into a shared interest in AI for catalyst discovery for green industries. Together they push the scientific frontiers, co-author publications and exchange expertise. The university benefits from funding and access to industry knowledge, while the company gains insights and excellent graduates as future employees.

Another fruitful collaboration, with Nitto Denko Corporation, originated from a discovery Pidko made over 10 years ago. It sparked the company’s interest but required further fundamental understanding and development, which they pursued together, resulting in many top-level publications and patents. Pidko and Marieke Palm share a common interest in science and technology and are currently in the planning phase for further cooperation.

Successful collaborations require mutual respect and flexibility. Universities must remain vigilant about their role as neutral arbiters of knowledge, ensuring that their partnerships with industry serve broader societal iterests rather than narrow commercial agendas. This reinforces their unique role in shaping a sustainable and equitable future.

Evgeny Pidko is a full professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Delft University of Technology. In addition to fundamental research and teaching, he collaborates with industries such as Evonik, Nitto Denko, Shell, and Janssen Pharmaceutica. Marieke Palm is a managing director at Scrooge Sustainable Energy B V. She currently supports various sustainable energy startups, including those coming from universities, and advises and assists them in growth and project management. Dr Alexandra Borissova Saleh is a head of marketing and PR at E-Quadrat Science & Education. She consults for academic institutions and startups on science communication, with a particular focus on science policy.

This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.