Networks, SMEs, and the University

Andrew Johnston, Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Huddersfield and Robert Huggins, Professor of Economic Geography and Director, Cities Research Centre, School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

• Contents: Foreword by Tamsin Mann 1. University–industry collaboration: why it matters 2. Framing collaboration: alliances, networks, and open innovation 3. Collaboration and the ‘engaged’ university 4. University–industry collaboration: formation and function 5. Universities and the UK economy 6. Ideation and motivation 7. Partner selection and assessing credibility 8. Absorbing and utilising knowledge 9. Understanding the results of collaboration 10. Conclusions and implications References Index

‘Fostering university–industry collaboration has become an important concern for regional policymakers over recent decades in the context of the rise of systemic approaches to innovation and the evolution of university roles to integrate a “third mission” alongside their teaching and research functions. In focusing specifically on the relationship between universities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this book by Andrew Johnston and Rob Huggins addresses a subset of university–industry collaboration that is underrepresented in the existing literature, but of key policy importance given the predominance of SMEs in regional economies. Indeed, in the context of societal challenges related to green, digital and demographic transitions that require more sophisticated cooperation within territorial innovation systems, there is a pressing need to understand the specific characteristics of effective collaborative relationships between academia and SMEs. The book is informed by empirical analysis that is in many ways specific to the UK context, and will therefore be of special interest to UK academics and policymakers.’