appropriate analytical tools and the systematic monitoring of key performance
indicators can help measure the success of such partnerships in order to adjust or
improve their outputs (e.g., Fernandes et al. 2017).
There are, however, some concerns about this gradual shift in funding sources.
For example, there is generally a high complementarity between government and
private sector funding to universities (Sá 2015) such that reducing public funding
can negatively affect university–industry collaboration (and their external
fundraising capacity) (Muscio et al. 2013). In addition, scientific originality may
be compromised as researchers become more business oriented and prioritize
research projects along “fundable” commercial interests (e.g. Besley et al. 2017;
Larsen 2011). Indeed, higher budget shares from industry are sometimes associated
with declining publication output (in terms of quality and quantity) in science and
engineering departments but can have a positive impact on the number of patent
citations (Hottenrott and Thorwarth 2011). This implies an increasing quality of
applied research, which can be a desirable outcome in some applied research fields.
However, it can be counterproductive in fields with high societal relevance such as
Sustainability Science. Overall, through this closer interaction between universities
and the private sector can be welcome in terms of transdisciplinarity and research
co-design, it may limit real advances in knowledge and out-of-the-box thinking. In
this sense, there is a real need for appropriate internal operating policies and
incentive structures to encourage academics to strike the right balance between
basic and applied research (Berbegal-Mirabent and Ribeiro-Soriano 2015).
8.4.4 Opportunities for Collaborative Research
The formation and operation of effective partnerships for sustainability research
require that the institutional priorities of each of the partners are addressed in a
mutually satisfying and equitable manner (Chap. 8 Vol. 2). In providing the science
and evidence to guide sustainability decision-making, the UG, for example, has to
meet its traditional obligations towards education, learning, research and knowledge
generation. However, at the same time it also has to acknowledge the priority of
industrial partners towards the production of goods and services for economic
benefit as well as the values and politics of the government. Currently, the potential
mutual benefits of collaborative research do not manifest strongly, as the UG faces
scepticism and a lack of confidence from the industrial sector. Furthermore, the
modalities through which the government uses research findings are still unclear.
However, there are opportunities for improving these collaborations, both from
the side of academia and industry. From the side of academia, a fundamental first
step towards strengthening these partnerships is an understanding of how researchers
themselves perceive the relationship between science and society (and their role for
transformative change). According to van der Hel (2018), sustainability researchers
tend to engage with the values and politics of societal change in different ways by
(a) focusing on the production of knowledge and are neutral/impartial to societal
8 Strategic Partnerships Between Universities and Non-academic Institutions for. . .
269
indicators can help measure the success of such partnerships in order to adjust or
improve their outputs (e.g., Fernandes et al. 2017).
There are, however, some concerns about this gradual shift in funding sources.
For example, there is generally a high complementarity between government and
private sector funding to universities (Sá 2015) such that reducing public funding
can negatively affect university–industry collaboration (and their external
fundraising capacity) (Muscio et al. 2013). In addition, scientific originality may
be compromised as researchers become more business oriented and prioritize
research projects along “fundable” commercial interests (e.g. Besley et al. 2017;
Larsen 2011). Indeed, higher budget shares from industry are sometimes associated
with declining publication output (in terms of quality and quantity) in science and
engineering departments but can have a positive impact on the number of patent
citations (Hottenrott and Thorwarth 2011). This implies an increasing quality of
applied research, which can be a desirable outcome in some applied research fields.
However, it can be counterproductive in fields with high societal relevance such as
Sustainability Science. Overall, through this closer interaction between universities
and the private sector can be welcome in terms of transdisciplinarity and research
co-design, it may limit real advances in knowledge and out-of-the-box thinking. In
this sense, there is a real need for appropriate internal operating policies and
incentive structures to encourage academics to strike the right balance between
basic and applied research (Berbegal-Mirabent and Ribeiro-Soriano 2015).
8.4.4 Opportunities for Collaborative Research
The formation and operation of effective partnerships for sustainability research
require that the institutional priorities of each of the partners are addressed in a
mutually satisfying and equitable manner (Chap. 8 Vol. 2). In providing the science
and evidence to guide sustainability decision-making, the UG, for example, has to
meet its traditional obligations towards education, learning, research and knowledge
generation. However, at the same time it also has to acknowledge the priority of
industrial partners towards the production of goods and services for economic
benefit as well as the values and politics of the government. Currently, the potential
mutual benefits of collaborative research do not manifest strongly, as the UG faces
scepticism and a lack of confidence from the industrial sector. Furthermore, the
modalities through which the government uses research findings are still unclear.
However, there are opportunities for improving these collaborations, both from
the side of academia and industry. From the side of academia, a fundamental first
step towards strengthening these partnerships is an understanding of how researchers
themselves perceive the relationship between science and society (and their role for
transformative change). According to van der Hel (2018), sustainability researchers
tend to engage with the values and politics of societal change in different ways by
(a) focusing on the production of knowledge and are neutral/impartial to societal
8 Strategic Partnerships Between Universities and Non-academic Institutions for. . .
269