Impact beyond commercialisation: exploring knowledge area variations in academic engagement with industry

Nina Brankovic, Todd Davey (), Sofía Louise Martínez-Martínez and Helene de Burgh-Woodman ()
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Nina Brankovic: UTS - University of Technology Sydney, ICKR - International Centre for Knowledge Resilience
Todd Davey: IMT-BS - MMS - Département Management, Marketing et Stratégie - TEM - Télécom Ecole de Management - IMT-BS - Institut Mines-Télécom Business School - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris], LITEM - Laboratoire en Innovation, Technologies, Economie et Management (EA 7363) - UEVE - Université d'Évry-Val-d'Essonne - Université Paris-Saclay - IMT-BS - Institut Mines-Télécom Business School - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris], ICKR - International Centre for Knowledge Resilience
Sofía Louise Martínez-Martínez: Universidad de Málaga [Málaga] = University of Málaga [Málaga]
Helene de Burgh-Woodman: UTS - University of Technology Sydney, ICKR - International Centre for Knowledge Resilience

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Abstract: Universities are increasingly expected to engage with external stakeholders beyond traditional research and education. This "third mission" is driven by factors like policy pressures, funding needs, and graduate employability. University-Business Collaboration (UBC) has emerged as a key form of engagement, fostering innovation, regional development, and job creation. Prior studies focus on a narrow vision for engagement activities, primarily on research and commercialisation, which excludes many more academics than it includes, to the detriment of academia. Moreover, some of the studies control for knowledge area, however, limited research focuses specifically on these knowledge areas, which have a large impact on the way in which academics create impact across a broad range of UBC activities in education, research and management. Using a large European dataset (3153 academics, 33 countries), this research explores academic engagement through UBC across medical sciences, technology & engineering, and social sciences & humanities. Specifically, the study deepen how individual factors such as academics' beliefs and capabilities, as well as the university context, influence UBC engagement. Statistical analyses reveal potential variations in how disciplines engage and create impact. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of UBC, potentially moving the conversation beyond traditional commercialization models towards a more holistic and transformative approach, which involves a much larger segment of the academic population. This research also lays the groundwork for future studies to explore a broader and more inclusive model of academic impact through engagement with industry and through UBC partnerships.

Keywords: University-business collaboration (UBC); Academic engagement; Engaged academic; Academic impact; Third mission of universities; Social impact; Triple helixs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06-19
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Published in Journal of Technology Transfer, 2026, ⟨10.1007/s10961-026-10326-x⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05674186

DOI: 10.1007/s10961-026-10326-x

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