How industry projects can stimulate academic engagement: an experimental study among U.S. engineering professors

Thomas Clauss, Patrick Spieth, Christian Klusmann, Wunnam Basit Issah and Tobias Kesting

Industry and Innovation, 2022, vol. 29, issue 1, 74-101

Abstract: Technology transfer remains one of the key functions of universities, seen with the growing importance attached to interactions between them and industry partners. Relying on self-determination theory (SDT), we develop a framework comprising the core motivational factors inherent in the design of industry projects and individual determinants which influence a professor’s willingness to engage in industry interaction activities. Based on a conjoint experiment among 250 U.S. professors in engineering sciences, our findings suggest that motivational incentives shape a professor’s disposition towards industry interaction. We additionally provide further insight into how intrinsic motivational structures towards industry engagement are moderated by individual characteristics, including the short-term orientation of professors towards industry activities. Our results contribute to research on university-industry interactions by developing deeper insights into the motivational structures of individual researchers. We also provide practical insights for university administrators and industry managers.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2021.1976626

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