Factors Influencing Knowledge Sharing, Cooperation, and Relationship Building Between Academia and Business

Abstract

Building relationships between businesses and research centres enables the creation of synergies that stimulate development and the flow of best practices. A key element of cooperation and the development of science-business relationships is the sharing of knowledge, which leads to the transformation of intellectual capital into organizational and market value; Technology Transfer Centres (TTCs) serve as intermediaries in the flow of knowledge between the academic community and the business sector. The aim of this article is to identify factors that facilitate cooperation between enterprises and scientific research centres, as well as factors limiting such cooperation, with a focus on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region in Poland. The research conducted was part of a larger research project dedicated to improving the process of transferring and commercializing innovative solutions between science and the economy. The study covered enterprises from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region in Poland and TTC units operating in Poland. Data were collected through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI), and the research tools consisted of questionnaires developed based on literature reviews. The study determined the significance for both groups of respondents of the factors identified by the research team as either facilitating or limiting cooperation between enterprises and scientific research centres. The findings can be used by businesses, universities, and research centres alike to better tailor their offerings and improve cooperation processes.