the knowledge triangle programme - methods and tools in design, culture, smart cities, health,

The Knowledge Triangle ProgrammeMethods and Tools in Design, Culture, Smart Cities, Health, Welfare and Entrepreneurship

TemaN

ord 2015:567Ved Stranden 18DK-1061 Copenhagen Kwww.norden.org

The Knowledge Triangle Programme

TemaN

ord 2015:567

TemaNord 2015:567ISBN 978-92-893-4307-7 (PRINT)ISBN 978-92-893-4309-1 (PDF)ISBN 978-92-893-4308-4 (EPUB)ISSN 0908-6692

ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION

The Knowledge Triangle Programme was initiated by the Nordic Council of

Ministers in 2011 with the aim to stimulate interaction between research,

education and innovation. This report is a collective work and provides an

overview of the Nordic and SinoNordic networks between 20112015.

Experiences and results from the work are described by the project leaders.

TN2015567 omslag.indd 1 04-09-2015 10:15:46

TheKnowledgeTriangleProgrammeMethodsandToolsinDesign,Culture,SmartCities,Health,WelfareandEntrepreneurshipHalinaGottliebandMonikaMrtbergBacklund

TemaNord2015:567

TheKnowledgeTriangleProgrammeMethodsandToolsinDesign,Culture,SmartCities,Health,WelfareandEntrepreneurshipHalinaGottliebandMonikaMrtbergBacklundISBN9789289343077(PRINT)ISBN9789289343091(PDF)ISBN9789289343084(EPUB)http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/TN2015567TemaNord2015:567ISSN09086692NordicCouncilofMinisters2015Layout:HanneLebechCoverphoto:Pawe.BorkowskiPrint:RosendahlsSchultzGrafiskCopies:100PrintedinDenmark

ThispublicationhasbeenpublishedwithfinancialsupportbytheNordicCouncilofMinisters.However,thecontentsofthispublicationdonotnecessarilyreflecttheviews,policiesorrecommendationsoftheNordicCouncilofMinisters.

www.norden.org/nordpub

NordiccooperationNordiccooperationisoneoftheworldsmostextensiveformsofregionalcollaboration,involvingDenmark,Finland,Iceland,Norway,Sweden,andtheFaroeIslands,Greenland,andland.Nordiccooperationhasfirmtraditionsinpolitics,theeconomy,andculture.ItplaysanimportantroleinEuropeanandinternationalcollaboration,andaimsatcreatingastrongNordiccommunityinastrongEurope.NordiccooperationseekstosafeguardNordicandregionalinterestsandprinciplesintheglobalcommunity.CommonNordicvalueshelptheregionsolidifyitspositionasoneoftheworldsmostinnovativeandcompetitive.NordicCouncilofMinistersVedStranden18DK1061CopenhagenKPhone(+45)33960200www.norden.org

Contents

IntroductionandSummary............................................................................................................71. PoliciesandMeasuresoftheNordicCouncilofMinisterstoStimulate

theDevelopmentoftheKnowledgeTriangleNetwork...............................................91.1 Background......................................................................................................................91.2 InitiativestoStimulateInteractionbetweenEducation,Research

andInnovationNordicandSinoNordicKnowledgeTriangles...........102. LiteratureReview....................................................................................................................13

2.1 Terminology.................................................................................................................132.2 TheSwedishPresidencyandtheGothenburgConference.......................182.3 EUMethodsofApplyingtheKnowledgeTriangle........................................222.4 MethodsofImplementingtheKnowledgeTriangleintheNordic

Countries........................................................................................................................272.5 MethodsintheUSA...................................................................................................362.6 MethodsinCanada.....................................................................................................402.7 MethodsinAustralia.................................................................................................432.8 MethodsinAsia...........................................................................................................442.9 StrategiesofImplementingtheKnowledgeTriangleuntil2020...........492.10 Conclusions...................................................................................................................52Bibliography...............................................................................................................................55Annex1.........................................................................................................................................58Annex2.........................................................................................................................................63Annex3.........................................................................................................................................64

3. OverviewoftheNordicNetworks.....................................................................................673.1 METIS,AndreasScheibenpflugandNiclasstlund.....................................673.2 CultureKICK,HalinaGottliebandDagnyStuedahl......................................703.3 NORDTEKKnowledgeTriangles,HallenBorg,PeterGranson

andAndersWarell.....................................................................................................763.4 NeRo,JetteBangshaab,OleFaaborg,MariaHolmandHenrik

Svensson.........................................................................................................................814. OverviewofThreeSinoNordicNetworks....................................................................89

4.1 ChinainTurbulence:PathsForwardforNordicBusiness,RiittaKosonen..........................................................................................................................89

4.2 UrbanGovernanceforSustainableCities(UGN)...........................................974.3 SinoNordicWelfareResearchNetwork(SNOW)......................................104

5. CaseStudiesfromParticipants........................................................................................1095.1 ModelfortheEstablishmentofanOnlineNetwork(NIW)with

ParticipantsfromalloverScandinavia...........................................................1095.2 TheUniversityCollegeofNorthernDenmark.............................................1205.3 SLUHoldingSWEDEN........................................................................................1315.4 NordtekNetworkofWelfareTechnologies..................................................1405.5 NordtekDesignNetwork......................................................................................1455.6 HowDoesWelfareTechnologyAddValuetoHealthCare.....................1515.7 ChinainTurbulence:PathsForwardforNordicBusiness?...................1635.8 UGNCaseStudyOutiLuova.............................................................................1655.9 ApplyingtheKnowledgeTriangletoFoodandNutritionalCareat

HospitalsCaseInsightsfromtheSinoNordicFood4GrowthNetworkProgram,BengtEgbergMikkelsen,AalborgUniversity.......168

6. ModelsandMethodsofKnowledgeTriangulation..................................................1776.1 CultureKICK:MethodsofTriangulationofCreativeIndustries,

ResearchandCulturalInstitutes.......................................................................1776.2 SLUHolding................................................................................................................1836.3 NMBUTechnologyTransferNORWAY........................................................1896.4 KbenhavnsUniversitet,F&I,TTODenmark.........................................1936.5 SinoNordicWelfareResearchNetwork(SNoW).......................................1956.6 ChinainTurbulence:PathsForwardforNordicBusiness.....................2116.7 UGNMethodsandModelsofKnowledgeTriangulation,Outi

Louva.............................................................................................................................2147. InternationalizationoftheKnowledgeTriangleProgramme.............................217

7.1 Action1:The6thEuropeanSummitSeminarforEnablingKnowHowExchangeGlobally...........................................................................217

Sammanfattning.............................................................................................................................231

IntroductionandSummary

Swedens InnovationStrategy in2004underlined the importanceof collaborationbetweeneducation,researchandtheprivatesector.Thisstrategywasbasedontheideathateducationandtheknowledgesectorplayakeyroleforsocietaldevelopment.ThiswaslaterformalisedaspartoftheKnowledge Triangle concept of the Work Programme during SwedensPresidencyoftheCounciloftheEuropeanUnionin2009.

In2011,theNordicMinistersofEducationandResearchinitiatedtheNordicKnowledgeTriangleProgrammewiththeaimtostimulatecollaboration between stakeholders from these sectors. The programme supported existing crosssectoral networks and built new constellations intheNordiccountrieswithin the fieldsofdesign, culture,welfareandentrepreneurship.Fournetworkswereestablished in this firststageof theproject:

METISaNordicnetworkwhoseprimarygoalistoimprove,strengthen,andmakemoreeffectiveworkconnectedtocommercialisationatNordicuniversities.

NORDTEKnetworkofrectorsofNordicinstitutesoftechnologysetuptocreateanarenawhereNordicknowledgetrianglescanbeestablishedwithafocusonthefieldsofindustrialdesignandwelfaretechnology.

CultureKICKestablishedwiththeaimtofacilitateanexchangeofNordicresearchandknowledgeinthefieldofdesignwithafocusoninnovationinthefieldofculturalheritagethroughpracticalandtheoreticalapplicationsofICT.

NeRonetworkwithafocusonwelfaretechnologyinthehealthcaresectorsoftheNordiccountries.

8 TheKnowledgeTriangleProgramme

In2012,theprogrammewasextendedtoincludeChinaacountryconsidered an increasingly important partner for Nordic universities andcompanies involved in innovation. Six SinoNordic networks were builtaround societal challenges such as public health, welfare, green energy,and sustainable cities: SinoNordic Welfare Research Network (SNoW),SinoNordicNetworkinEthicsofResearchandPublicHealth,UrbanGovernance for Sustainable Cities Network, Dynamics and Reliability of RenewableEnergySystems,ChinainTurbulence:PathsForwardforNordicBusinessandFood4Growth.

TheKnowledgeTriangleProgrammeMethodsandToolsinDesign,Culture,SmartCities,Health,WelfareandEntrepreneurshipisajointpublicationwhichpresentstheactivitiesandresultsoftheabovementionedNordic and SinoNordic networks built during theKnowledge Triangle Programmeintheperiod20112015.

1. PoliciesandMeasuresoftheNordicCouncilofMinisterstoStimulatetheDevelopmentoftheKnowledgeTriangleNetwork

1.1 BackgroundTheNordiccooperationisoneoftheoldestandmostcomprehensiveregionalcooperationintheworld.Itisbasedonsharedvaluesandawilltogenerateadynamicdevelopmentandenhanceregionalcompetence.

TheNordicCouncilofMinisters,whichwasfoundedin1971,istheofficialintergovernmentalbodyforcooperationintheNordicregion.RepresentativesfromthegovernmentsinDenmark,Finland,Iceland,Norway,Sweden, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and land meet regularly at theCouncilofMinisterstodiscussanddevelopactivitiesofcommoninterestfortheNordicregions.ThepresidencyoftheCouncil,whichisheldforaperiodofoneyear,rotatesbetweenthefiveNordiccountries.

TheNordicCouncilofMinistersconsistsoftencouncilsofministersfocusingondifferentpolicyareas.TheNordicgovernmentscooperationinthefieldofresearchandeducationisledbytheNordicMinistersofEducationandResearch.Theiroverall aim is to ensure that theNordic regionmaintains a leading positionwithin the fields of knowledge and competencies.Key concepts in reaching thesegoals are freedomofmovement,innovation,visibilityandinternationalengagement.


1.2 InitiativestoStimulateInteractionbetweenEducation,ResearchandInnovationNordicandSinoNordicKnowledgeTriangles

InalltheNordiccountriespoliciesarecontinuouslydevelopedtoprovidehigh quality education, research and innovation in order to stimulate aknowledgebasedeconomyand to increase the competivenessof the region.Thereisalsoacommonunderstandingbetweenthecountriesthatapositivedevelopmentofaknowledgebasedeconomyshouldbebasedonwellfunctioning interaction between universities and other knowledgeproducing institutions, industry and the public sector. The termknowledge triangle referring to the interactionbetween education, researchandinnovationis,however,notexplicitlyusedinalloftheNordiccountries. In spite of this lack of common terminology the interactionsbetween the actors within these fields are regarded as being of crucialimportanceandseveralpolicymeasuresaretakeninaccordancewiththeconcept. In fact, theabilityof theNordiccountriestodevelopnewproducts and services from existing knowledge is recognised internationallyand it contributes substantially to the competiveness of the region. In2011theNordicCouncilofMinistersundertookaninvestigationofactivities and strategieswith the aim to analyse and compare policies developed and applied in the spirit of the knowledge triangle in the Nordiccountries. The investigation showed that the idea behind the concept isverymuchaliveintheNordicregionandthatcooperationbetweeneducation,researchandinnovationisincreasinginalloftheNordiccountries.1

WiththisbackgroundtheNordicMinistersofEducationandResearch,in 2011, initiated a three year project with the aims to contribute to adeepenedknowledgeabouttheinteractionbetweenuniversitiesandother innovation actors and to promote increased applications of researchresults in product and services. The funds allocated to the projectweredirected to support theestablishmentofNordicknowledge trianglenet

1Melin,G.,&Blomkvist,L.(2011,June).KunskapstriangelniNorden,kartlggningavstrategierochgenomfrdaaktiviteter.Faugert&CoUtvrderingAB.

TheKnowledgeTriangleProgramme 11

worksformutuallearningbetweenrelevantactorsandtosupportmobilitybetween theparticipants in thenetworks.Three thematicareaswereidentifiedforthisinitiative:

Health. Nordiccultureanddesign. Generalknowledgecreation.

The announcement of the initiativemetwith huge interest and from alltheapplicationsfournetworkswereselectedforfinancing.

In2012theNordicMinistersofEducationandResearchdecidedonanadditional three year initiative for the knowledge triangle, this time includingbothNordicandChineseactors.ThebackgroundforthisdecisionwasbasedontheawarenessthatinternationalcollaborationwithinhighereducationhasgrownrapidlythelastdecadesandthatChinaisbecomingan increasingly importantpartner forNordicuniversities, innovationactorsandcompanies.WiththeinitiativetheCouncilwantedtocontributeto the development of the Nordic Center at the Fudan University inShanghaiasacentreforSinoNordiccollaborationwithintheknowledgetriangle and also to increase Nordic visibility in the Shanghai area. TheoverallaimwastostrengthencollaborationbetweenNordicandChineseuniversities and other innovation actors by establishing an exchange ofideas,knowledgeandexperiencesregardingcommonchallenges.Nospecific thematicareaswereselected for thisprojectalthough the fieldsclimate/energy,greengrowth,healthandwelfareandtheNordicModelwere highlighted as of special relevance. The interest was considerablealsoforthisinitiativeandfromseveralqualifiedapplicationssixnetworkprojectswereselectedforfinancingwithinavarietyofthematicareas.

This report presents the Nordic and the SinoNordic networks andgives an overview of the activities performed in the different thematicprojectswithintherespectivenetworks.Theexperiencesandtheconcreteresultsfromtheworkaredescribedbyeachoftheprojectleaders.

ReferencesMelin,G.,&Blomkvist,L.(2011,June).KunskapstriangelniNorden,kartlggningavstrategierochgenomfrdaaktiviteter.Faugert&CoUtvrderingAB.

2. LiteratureReview

2.1 TerminologyThere isnoaccrediteddefinitionof theconceptof theknowledgetriangle,butallexplanationsconveyedso farbypolicymakers,practitionersandacademicsalikepointtotheinteractionbetweeneducation,researchandbusinesssectorthethreefundamentalfactorsthatcontributetothecreationofaknowledgebasedsocietyandfosterinnovation.

In themissionassignedby theSwedishGovernment to theBoard forInnovationSystems,Vinnova, toassembleaworkingteamfortheexecution of the knowledge triangle, it is stated that the concept of theknowledge triangle refers to systematic and continuous interaction betweenresearch,innovationandeducation,andthevalueofinvestmentsintheseareascanbecreatedbysuchinteraction.2

Possiblythefirstuseoftheterminadocumentwasmadein2005,inthe Reform of the universities in the framework of the Lisbon strategy,3whereitwasunderscoredthatEuropemuststrengthenthethreepolesofits knowledge triangle: education, research and innovation. Universitiesareessentialinallthree.Investingmoreandbetterinthemodernizationandqualityofuniversities isadirect investment in the futureofEuropeandEuropeans.Thereform,issuedfiveyearsafterthelaunchoftheLisbonstrategy,wasaimedtogivethestrategysomefreshmomentumastheEuropean economy had failed to deliver the expected performance interms of growth, productivity and employment. The goal of the Lisbon

2VINNOVA.(2010,16thSeptember).GovernmentDecision:N2010/5929/FIN.RetrivedJune2013,fromhttp://www.vinnova.se/PageFiles/54610448/Kunskapstriangeln_slutrapport110630.pdf3EUCommission.(2005).MobilisingthebrainpowerofEurope:enablinguniversitiestomaketheirfullcontributiontotheLisbonStrategy.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/education_training_youth/lifelong_learning/c11078_en.htm


StrategyestablishedinMarch2000wastomaketheEuropeanUnionthemostcompetitiveanddynamicknowledgebasedeconomyintheworld,4butafteramidtermreviewofthestrategyin2004, itwasreportedthattherewas still insufficient investment in research anddevelopment andthe European university system was fragmented and remote from theindustryfield.

Theideaofenablinginteractionbetweeneducation,academicresearchand innovationwashoweverhintedatbefore that, in2004,by theSwedishGovernment,initsInnovationStrategyforSweden:Manyinnovationsand technological discoveries have their origins in academic research.Wellfunctioninginteractionbetweenuniversities,highereducationinstitutions,researchinstitutesandthebusinesssectoristhereforevital.5

Eventhoughitdoesnotdenominatethetermoftheknowledgetriangle,itishoweveravisionwhichwascarriedonintheWorkProgrammefortheSwedishPresidency intheEU inJune2009,whentheconceptwasfinallylegitimated:

ThePresidencywillcontinuetheworkthathasbegunandaimstoproposegovernancemechanismsfortheeffectiveuseoftheseresourcesandbettercooperationbetweenpolicyareas,e.g.inthecontextoftheknowledgetriangle()Thefocuswillbeontheissueoftheroleofhighereducationinstitutionsinpromotingcooperationwithintheknowledgetriangle.6

ThewholestrategyofimplementingtheknowledgetrianglewastobefurtherdiscussedatfulllengthwithintheconferenceTheKnowledgeTriangleShaping the Future of Europe in September 2009, and in the followingmonthofthesameyear,theEUEducation,YouthandCultureCouncilmeetingatBrusselsestablishedtheprinciplesofthepolicieswhichaddressthechallengesofapplyingtheknowledgetriangleframework.

4LisbonEuropeanCouncil.(2000,March).PresidencyConclusions.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/00100r1.en0.htm5MinistryofIndustry,EmploymentandCommunications,MinistryofEducation.(2004).InnovativeSweden.Astrategyforgrowththroughrenewal,p.16.Stockholm:tta.6SwedishPresidencyoftheEU.(2009).WorkProgrammefortheSwedishPresidencyintheEU,p.40.Stockholm:Regeringen.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/envi/dv/sv_workprogramme_/sv_workprogramme_en.pdf


Theconceptofknowledgetrianglestemshoweverfromanumberofotherpreviousideaswhichwereincorporatedinpoliciesandstrategiesofnumerousgoverningprogrammespriorto2004.Inotherwords,theconcept is essentially a spinoff and can be regarded as an evolution of theInnovationSystemandTripleHelix.

2.1.1 TheInnovationSystemTheInnovationSystemidea,whichhasgainedanimmensepopularitysincethe20thcenturyandhasbeenintroducedinvariouspolicyprogrammesforeconomicgrowthanddevelopment,isatthebaseoftheknowledgetriangleconcept.Theapproachconsidersresearchtobeonlyonepartofthewholeprocess of innovation and that innovation does not occur linearly, fromresearchtodevelopment,productionandnewproducts,butinsteadimpliesconstantreciprocalactionbetweendifferentsources.

Otherwisestated,innovationemergesasaresultofaninteractiveprocess between several actors, including companies, universities and researchinstitutes,anideawhichisintegratedintotheknowledgetrianglemodel. All these organizations are embedded in a web of interrelationships.Aninnovationsystemisthereforeanetworkoforganisationswithinaneconomicsystemthataredirectlyinvolvedinthecreation,diffusionanduseofscientificandtechnologicalknowledge,aswellastheorganisationsresponsibleforthecoordinationandsupportoftheseprocesses.7

TheinnovationsystemapproachhasbeenadoptedquiterapidlyintheNordiccountriesasanewfieldofpoliciesandwaspresentevenasearlyasthe1980s,inFinland,whentheconceptwasappliedtonationalgrowthplans. InDenmark, the so calledDISKOprojecthas accomplishedan extensivenationalstudyoftheDanishinnovationsystemin1999.TheDISKOproject involved general economists, business economists and socialscientistswithanexpertise in innovation,humanresourcemanagement,labourmarketsandeducation issues. In Sweden, theNationalBoard for

7Dantas,E.(2005).Thesystemofinnovationapproach,anditsrelevancetodevelopingcountries.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://www.scidev.net/global/policybrief/thesystemofinnovationapproachanditsrelevanc.html


InnovationSystem(VINNOVA)wasfoundedintheyear2000andinNorway, amerging of several small agencies to the new agency InnovasjonNorwaywascompletedin2004.

Eventhoughthegenesisandaccuracyofthetermandconceptoftheinnovationsystemwascriticisedtolackrealscientificsubstance,8theconceptoftheinnovationsystemwasverymuchemployedinallkindsofcontextsthatwereabouteconomicgrowth,regionaldevelopmentandsocietalplanning. Politicians, policymakers, scientists, andmany others from themid1990shaveendorsedtheideaoftheinnovationsystembecausetheyneeded a language inorder todefineanewsocietalorganisationaswell as aneworder.Theywereconsequentlycreating innovationsystemsoutofaneedforanewworldviewandanewdiagnosisofanera.9

Astheinnovationsystemapproachcanbeappliedtodifferentlevelsoftheeconomy,atregional,national,localorsectorallevels,theEUandtheOECDhaveadoptedandimplementedthisconcept,viewingitasascientificallygroundedideologyforeconomicgrowth.

2.1.2 TheTripleHelixThe concept of the Triple Helix, first introduced by Professor Henry Etzkowitz,describesanewinnovationmodelthatviewsthecollaborativeprocessofindustry,governmentsanduniversitiesasbeneficialforsupportinginnovation and a knowledgebased economy. The focus on innovationsources is thus not restricted to the scope of a single institution. Productdevelopmentinindustry,policymakingingovernmentorthecreationanddisseminationofknowledgeinacademia(collegesanduniversities),resultfromtheinteractionbetweenthethreespheres,andnotseparately.

Each institutionbrings itsowncontribution inthetriplehelixrelation:industrycreatesthelocusofproduction;thegovernmentoperatesthecontractualrelationsthatguaranteestableinteractionsandexchange;theuni

8Miettinen,R.(2002).NationalInnovationSystem.Scientificconceptorpoliticalrhetoric?Helsinki:Edita.9Uhlin,.(2006).TheIdeaofInnovationSystemandtheNeedforaNewHorizonofExpectation.InMariussen,.,&Uhlin,.(Eds.),TransNationalPractises.SystemsThinkinginPolicyMaking.Stockholm:Nordregio.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://bildanden.se/Filer/the_idea_of_innovation_systems.pdf


versityprovidesnewknowledgeandtechnology.AlthoughthegovernmentisnotspecifiedintheknowledgetriangleconceptasdirectlyasintheTripleHelixconcept, itactsasafacilitatorwhichoperatesthesystemicinterplaybetweenthethreeformsofactivities:education,researchandbusiness.

A key feature of the Triple Helixwhich can also be identified in theknowledgetriangleisthecooperationandthediverseinputandfeedbackthatoccurbetweentheactors.InthevisionofEtzkowitz,theinvolvementof the actors goes to such an extent that each institutional sphere alsotakestheroleoftheother,performingnewrolesaswellastheirtraditional function.10 This idea entails the restructuring of institutions and theemergenceofhybridorganizationssuchastechnologytransferoffices inuniversities,governmentresearchlabsandbusinessandfinancialsupportinstitutions suchas venture capital fornew technologybased firms thatareincreasinglydevelopingaroundtheworld.

Another important characteristic of the TripleHelix thatwas also enhancedinthepoliciesthatadopttheapproachoftheknowledgetriangleisrepresentedby themajor roleof theuniversity in the knowledge society.Bothconceptsviewuniversitiesas thesourceofregionaleconomicdevelopmentandpositionuniversitiesatthecoreoftheinnovationweb.Accordingtoknowledgetrianglepolicymakers,anecessaryconditionforuniversitiestosatisfytheirmissionofcreatingandpromotinginnovationandthussupporteconomicgrowthistobemoreopenandresponsivetotheneedsof the labourmarket and society11 as there isnot enough feedback fromresearchandbusinessesintocurriculaandeducationalpractice.

However, in the Triple Helix concept the university is considered tohavealargerroleintheknowledgebasedsociety.AsProfessorEtzkowitzreflects,theuniversityintheTripleHelixisnolongerjustasourceofhuman resources and knowledge, but it can also provide technology: Theuniversitybegins toplayanewmoredirectrole in thecapitalizationof

10Etzkowitz,H.,Dzisah,J.,Ranga,M.,&Zhou,C.(2007,January/February).SpecialFeature:TheTripleHelixModelforInnovation.TechMonitor,p.15.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://www.techmonitor.net/tm/images/7/7d/07jan_feb_sf1.pdf11Quintin,O.(2009).Thechangingroleofuniversitiesintheknowledgetriangle.PresidencyConference:TheKnowledgeTriangle:ShapingtheFutureofEurope,p.2.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/quintin/GoteborgTheKnowledgeTriangle310809.pdf


knowledge by organising technology transfer to existing firms and bystartingnew firms inaddition to its traditionalsupportingroleof transferring knowledge.12 Another article also emphasized amore futuristicmission of the higher education institutions: The transformation of auniversityfromateachingtoaresearchandthencetoanentrepreneurialinstitutionisvital.13

Boththetriplehelixandtheknowledgetriangleconceptsharethevision of universities providing students with entrepreneurial skills astheyrepresentacontinualsourceofinnovation,bothwithintheuniversityand through their regularmovement toother institutional spheresupongraduation.14

2.2 TheSwedishPresidencyandtheGothenburgConference

Theconceptoftheknowledgetrianglewaslargelydiscussedduringthesecondhalfof2009,whenSwedentookoverthePresidencyoftheCounciloftheEuropeanUnion.Eventhoughtheissuewastackledatanideological level, it broke new ground in the field of innovation systems andknowledge transfer andprepared thenecessary conditions to forming aEuropean and global environment favourable for innovation and its immediateimpactonsustainableeconomicgrowthandcompetitiveness.

According to theSwedishPresidency, thekey toenhancingeconomicgrowth is through innovation. Nevertheless, in order to strengthen theinnovationcapacityof theEUand itscompetitiveness,whichwill triggersolutionstotheemergingsocietalproblemsinthelongrun, it is imperative to implement an approach of linking academic research and

12Etzkowitz,H.(2007).UniversityIndustryGovernment:TheTripleHelixModelofInnovation,p.1.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://www.eoq.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/Congress_proceedings/Prague_2007/Proceedings/007_EOQ_FP__Etzkowitz_Henry__A1.pdf13Etzkowitz,H.,Dzisah,J.,Ranga,M.,&Zhou,C.(2007,January/February).SpecialFeature:TheTripleHelixModelforInnovation.TechMonitor,p.14.RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://www.techmonitor.net/tm/images/7/7d/07jan_feb_sf1.pdf14Ibid.,p.11


knowledgeproductionwithanentrepreneurialspirit.Thisvisionhasbeenconsideredtohavereciprocalbeneficialeffectstowardsallthreeactorsofthe knowledge triangle and facilitate transition from idea to product,fromlabtomarket,andfromstudenttoentrepreneur15(EITMission).

Forexample,universitieswillhavecloseconnectionswithcuttingedgeresearchinordertoprovidehighqualityeducationandstudentswillbenefit fromacustomizededucationthatwillmakethemmoreattractive tofutureemployers.Inreturn,companieswillbeabletoleverageknowledgedevelopedbypublicresearchcentresandbenefit fromaworkforcewithskillstailoredtotheirneeds.Theresearchinstitutionswillbenefitfromaskilledworkforce andwill take advantage of newopportunities of business investments.Furthermore,researchers,studentsandentrepreneursaremuch lessefficient inattaining theresultsneededanddemandedbythemarketandconsumersiftheyworkinisolation.

Consequently, inthecontextofclimatechange,economiccrisis,employment deficiency and changing patterns of global competition, onestrategyforEuropetoaddressthesesocietalchallengeswasrepresentedby efficient longterm investments to knowledgebased innovations todelivervalue in termsofprosperityandqualityof life. In thisregard itwasdetermined that Theconceptof theknowledge triangle relates totheneedfor improvingthe impactof investments inthethreeformsofactivityeducation,researchandinnovationbysystemicandcontinuousinteraction.16

However, it has been observed that the resources destined for research and innovation were not used efficiently in order to enable thetransitionofEurope toanecoefficienteconomy. Inaddition to that, theframeworkof stimulating innovationandconducting researchhad tobereconsidered because several other challenges in the innovation landscapewereneededtobedealtwith:fragmentationoftheinnovationsystem, lackof entrepreneurial culture, inability to supportand restoreen

15EITMission.(n.d.).RetrievedJune2013,fromhttp://eit.europa.eu/aboutus/mission/16Jacobsson,G.(2009).TheKnowledgeTriangleShapingtheFutureofEurope.Summaryreportfromtheconference31stAugust2ndSeptember,Gteborg,Sweden,p.7.Stockholm:TheSwedishNationalAgencyforHigherEducation.


terprises,inconsistentusageoftheexistingresearchbase,andinsufficiencyindeveloping,attractingandretainingtalentedindividuals.

ThefocuswasdirectedthereforeonmethodsonhowEUwastouseitsresearch resources more efficiently, where research resources should beusedandhowtheseinvestmentscouldbebettercoordinatedandmanaged.

2.2.1 MethodsproposedwithintheGothenburgConference

Thediscussionsofthemethods(seeAnnex1)toimplementtheknowledgetriangle during the conferencemainly touchedon the various efforts thatuniversities can undertake. Several speakers such as Tobias Krantz, theMinisterofHigherEducationandResearchinSweden,andMariusRubrialta,SecretaryGeneralforUniversitiesinSpain,talkedaboutintegratinguniversitieswithlocalbusinessesasastepforwardtoincreaseuniversityparticipationintheknowledgetriangle.KrantzusedtheexampleofChalmersUniversity in Gothenburg cooperatingwith Astra Zenica and SahlgrenskaHospital.BrittLw,CEOofSwedishincubatorINOVA,presentedhowtheyworkwith the local university, supporting and connecting researchers toentrepreneursthatmightbeabletorealizetheirideas.

AnothersuggestionmadebyPamFredman,Chairmanof theAssociationofSwedishHigherEducation,calledforahigherrateofmatchmakingbetween students and their future employers, plus a closer contact between various institutions in all parts of the knowledge triangle. Therefore, ahighermobilityof staffandstudentsmight serve tocreatecloserinteractionsbetweendifferentsectors.ThoughMrs.FredmanpointedoutthatregulationsonbothnationalandEuropeanlevelsmakethisdifficult,asolutioncouldbethatqualificationfromcompaniescanfunctionascreditsorgradeswithinuniversities.JuliaKing,ViceChairofAstonUniversityofTexas, suggested changing polices to make it beneficial for engineeringstudentstoworkinengineeringcompaniesorlettingbusinessprofessorsrunanddevelopbusinessstrategies.DeborahLWinceSmithoftheCouncilofCompetitivenessexplainedthatintegratinguniversitiesandindustryisamust.Shedrawsattentiontothegapbetweenthetrainingandpotentialindustriesandpointedoutthattheeducationdoesnotmeettheneedsofcompanies.


JuliaKingandMauriPekkarinen,FinnishMinisterofEconomicAffairs,suggested that governments and other funding bodiesmust focusmorestronglyonhelpingbusinessesdevelop linkswithuniversitiesandotherresearchcenters,sothatresearchcanalsoapproachamorebusinesslikestandpoint and meet the demands of the market. Nicola Markova, thenpresidentofEURODOC,suggestedthatdoctoralcandidatesandresearchers can help build up the knowledge triangle by having them work incompanies. They represent links between education, innovation and research, and they can contributemore to strengthening the relationshipswithin the knowledge triangle if doctoral graduates were given morerecognitionoverallinEurope.

Anothertopicbroughtupattheconferenceunderlinedtheneedtoincrease the autonomy and flexibility of universities. JeanMarc Rapp, thePresidentoftheEuropeanUniversityAssociation,arguedthattheleadersofuniversitiesshouldbeable todesigntheirownmanagementandacademic structures aswell as to select staff and programs. The focuswasalso turned towards the idea of giving greater flexibility to students sothey can begin their education in one country and finish it in another.Margret Wintermantel also added that universities would also benefitfromintegratingdifferentacademicdisciplinesacrosstheboardaswellasintegratingdiversecompetences,whichmayleadtochanginghighereducationpolices.GnterStock,PresidentoftheBerlinBrandenburgAcademyofScienceandHumanities,putforththatgoodteachingisnecessary;studentsneedtolearnhowtoformnetworksandreceiveahigherdegreeofculturaltraining.Mr.StockarguedthatthehumanitieswouldhelpunderstandwhatEuropeneedsinlightofitscommonculturalheritage.During her speech, Deborah LWinceSmith also stressed that the arts andhumanities must integrate with the physical sciences to produce moreinnovation. She said that we need engineerswho think like artists andartistswhothinklikeengineers.17

17Jacobsson,G.(2009).TheKnowledgeTriangleShapingtheFutureofEurope.Summaryreportfromtheconference31stAugust2ndSeptember,Gteborg,Sweden,pp.2223.Stockholm:TheSwedishNationalAgencyforHigherEducation.


2.3 EUMethodsofApplyingtheKnowledgeTriangle

2.3.1 MethodsofCreatingRelationshipswithintheKnowledgeTriangle

Themissionofapplying theknowledgetrianglemodel inpracticewasassignedtotheEuropeanInstituteofInnovationandTechnology(EIT),itwasthefirstEUinitiativetofullyintegrateallthreesidesoftheknowledgetriangle: higher education, research and business. The collaboration of allthree sides and the effective sharingof knowledge, informationand skillsforcommonusagearecarriedoutbywayofsocalledKnowledgeandInnovation Communities (KICs) where universities, research institutes, businesses and public institutions take a shared responsibility (see Annex 2).The preliminary condition for the knowledge triangle to function is thusthroughlocal,regional,nationalandinternationalcooperation.

AKnowledgeandInnovationCommunity(KIC)isalegalentityconsistingofathematicpartnership(2030corepartners)fromallsidesoftheknowledgetriangleandacrossEurope.AspecialcharacteristicofKICs isthat, apart from its core partners, it continually incorporates new affiliates,associatesornetworkpartnersthatcanengageinitsactivities,withouttakingpartintheKICsgovernance,makingitthusoperatelikealivingnetwork. Itsgoal is toestablish innovativewebsofexcellenceacrosstheknowledgetriangleandcreateaplatformwhereideas,skillsandbusinessmodelsfromadiverserangeofpartnerscanbetransformedintoinnovationsthatwillaccelerategrowth.

Amajor challengewhen creating the KIC structure, and establishingextensivenetworksfromboththepublicandprivatesector,wasthegeographicalandprofessionaldifferences,aswellas the independency, thatcharacterizedallofthecorepartnerorganizations.Inadditiontothis,themajorityofpotentialpartnerswerealsocompetitors.However,alegalandfinancialcommitmentforaperiodof7years,aresultorientednatureoftheir partnerships and the creation of a range of activities that fostercommunicationandacommunitysense,convincedmemberstoovercometheirreservationsaboutthenetwork.


ThefirstthreeKICswerebuiltasinnovationtestbedswiththeobjective to discover goodpractices on how the knowledge triangle could beimplemented. They addressed the most challenging current issues: ClimateChangeMitigation andAdaption (ClimateKIC), Sustainable Energy(KIC InnoEnergy) and Future Information and Communication Society(EITICTLabs).Eachof theseKICshas5or6ColocationCentres(CLCs)structuredwithrespecttotheirnationalandregionalinnovationcontext.

AcolocationcentreisageographicallocationwhereallthecollaborativeactivitiesoftheKICpartnersarecarriedout.Itaimstobringtogetherpeople from different organizations, sectors, disciplines and countries,withdifferentrolesintheinnovationchain,andfosterknowledgetransferin the most effective way. The partnerships established within the Colocation Centers of ClimateKIC and KIC InnoEnergy are extended to anational level, whereas those founded in the Colocation Centres of EITICTLabsare limitedtotheirregionsoforigin,andthuscalledgeographicalnodes.

2.3.2 MethodsofManagingtheRelationshipswithintheKnowledgeTriangle

AllthreeKICshaveadoptedanentrepreneurialcorporateculture,meaningthateachhasitsownCEOandExecutiveBoardthatcoordinatetheKICstrategyandbusinessplan,andeachaimstodevelopaportfolioofassetswithmarket value. The KIC InnoEnergy runs as a commercial companyunderDutch law,while ClimateKIC andEIT ICT Labs have adopted themodeloflimitedliabilitynonprofitassociationsunderDutchandBelgianlegalform.

AnothermethodofKICsthatsolvedtheissueofgoverningacommunitydrivenformofcollaborationwastheadoptionofamatrixmanagementsystem.Thisnewstructure isveryadvantageousforamultistakeholderadministrationasitenablessharinginformationfromKICEducation,Entrepreneurshipand Innovationagendas ina topdownapproachandthedistributionofprojectinitiativesfromColocationCentresinabottomupapproach.Thenewapproachledtoopenanduserdriveninnovation.

The fundingmodel of theKICs distinguishes itself through an entrepreneurialspiritaswell.ThisimpliesthatEITprovidesaseedinvestment


ofupto25%ofthetotalKICbudgetandtheremaining75%offundsmustbe drawn from private sources, other EU instruments or from its ownactivities.Between2010and2012,78.5%oftheKICstotalbudgetswerefromoutsidesources,andinapproximately15yearsfromnow,KICsareexpectedtobecomeselfsustainable.

All investmentsarechannelledtoachievepositiveimpactonEuropeansocietyandeconomyandthuspartnersthatwanttobenefitfromthefunds,areeligibleonlyiftheiractivitiesarerelevantandaddvaluetotheEuropeaninnovationagenda.EvenifthefundingmodeldemandsacertaindegreeofcostsandresourcesfromthecompaniescommittedtotheKIC,duringthefirsttwoyearsofEITsexistence,theprivatesectorhasshownengagementand a positive attitude towards participating in theKIC. The investmentsentailedseveraladvantages for industrialpartners suchas:access tonewtechnologies, a network of talent and expertise in research, readymademarketanalysis,andcreativeideasfromSMEsandentrepreneurs.

2.3.3 MethodsofIntegratingEducationintheKnowledgeTriangle

KICs integrate innovation, education and business development by alsooffering education programs focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship.ThesearedevelopedinpartnershipwithEuropeanBusinessSchools,capitalizingontheirexpertise in formingtheprograms;coursesarealsodesignedbyuniversities,researchersandindustry.

PhDstudentsareallowedtoinitiateandrealizeprojectswithintheKICsnetworkstructure,whichhelpsthemconnectwithpotentialfutureemployersorfuturebusinesspartners.Inthiswaytheyaregivenaccesstomeetingplacesofbothbusinessandacademia.TheUniversityofKrakowisaperfectexampleof this initiative.Theuniversitybuilt closer tieswith local industriesandisnowconsideredafullpartneroftheKICnetworks.18

18Allinson,R.,Izsak,K.,&Griniece,E.(2012).CatalyzingInnovationintheKnowledgeTriangle.TechnopolisGroup,p.16.Retrieved2ndJuly2013,fromhttp://eit.europa.eu/fileadmin/Content/Downloads/PDF/Key_documents/EIT_publication_Final.pdf


ThereareuniversitieswhichalsoofferMastersprogramsincooperationwith KICs. The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm is one of theseuniversitieswhichoffersaMastersprogramwithintheEITICTLabs.19

EITICTLabsMasterSchoolwassetupasajointventurebetweenKICuniversitiesandbusinessschools.During2012about200studentswereadmittedintotheprogramandalmost20universitiesaroundEuropeareattachedtoit.TheEITICTLabsMasterSchooldiffersfromotherMastersprogramsthroughthescaleofthepartnership;itisoneofthelargestEuropeanventuresinhighereducation.TheEITICTLabsMasterSchoolisatwoyearprogram inwhich students can choose twouniversities in twodifferentEuropeancountriesandbuildacurriculumoftheirchoicebasedon their skills and interest. The degree combines technical competencewithasetofskillsininnovationandentrepreneurship.Thestandardizedminor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship was devised in cooperationwiththeconnectedschoolsandislinkedtotheCLCbusinesses.Studentswillcrossborders,receiveeducationfromdifferent institutionsandgainlinks to industry. The program guarantees internships with industrialpartnersandplanstoexpandtheseinternshipstoothercompanieswithintheEITnetwork.

Inadditiontothis,KICsassistyoungprofessionalsevenaftertheyhavegraduatedbybuildingalumninetworkstokeepintouchwithnotjusteachother, but also with the broader KIC community. Through all thesemeasures,KICsare thuschanging thehighereducation landscape inEuropebyutilizingtheknowledgeofactorsthatwouldnormallynotbeaccessibletostudents.

19RoyalInstituteofTechnology,Sweden(n.d.).EITMaster'sProgrammesinEnergyandICT.Retrieved2ndJuly2013fromhttp://www.kth.se/en/studies/programmes/eit


2.3.4 MethodsofIntegratingResearchintotheKnowledgeTriangle

BridgingthegapbetweenresearchandproductionhasproventobeoneofthemostvitalaspectsofKICs.AlthoughEuropehasa leadingpositionwhenitcomestoknowledgeandcreatingtechnology,itlackedthecapacitytoturnitintonewproducts.Thehighlevelofindustryparticipationinthe KIC community helps to solve this problem. As innovation is not alinear process, but one with many feedback loops, KICs act as an importantvehicletochaintogetherresearchwiththetransferofknowledgeandtothecommercializationoftheresearchthroughpartnercompanies.ApartoftheKICsbusinesssupportalsoincludespresentingtheirideastoresearchpartners,bridgingthegapbetweenresearchandinnovation.

Researchis linkedtobusinessesbytheKICs innovationprojects;EITICT Labs intends to createworldclass ICT businesses by industrializingresearchresultsatafasterratewhileClimateKICoffersaframeworkforidentifyingpotentialmarketsforclimateinnovativeresearch.

Inamoregeneralperspective,KICsserveasdemonstratorsastheydeliverproofsofconcepttoinvestorsandmakeresearchinstitutesthinkinterms of real marketbased products. In addition to that, EIT fundingmakesiteasiertopromoteinnovationamonginvestors.

2.3.5 MethodsofIntegratingBusinessintotheKnowledgeTriangle

KICactivitiesalsoaimatbusinessdevelopmentandentrepreneurship.AllKICshavearangeofsupportivefunctionsforentrepreneurstostarttheirbusinessesandtranslatetheirideasintoreality.Thesefocusonareasliketechnology, human resources andmarket assessment. TheKICs are alsoable to provide panEuropean support by finding potential partners forbusinessesandresearch institutions inotherregions.KICsalsobringtogether competitors in an environment where they can collaborate andtriggerinnovation.

KICsarerunningprojectsthataimbothatresearchandfindingwaystomarket it as successfulproducts. Ideally, eachKICwilldeliver2025projectsannuallyby2014.Projectsarerequiredtodevelopclearproductsthataimataddressingspecificopportunitiesfoundthroughmarketstudies.By


analyzing the market, KIC partners find promising new technologies orredesigntheirprojectstobemorepractical.KICprojectsaredirectlylinkedto business development, and by integrating these projects into local regions,itcanhelpnewcompaniestofindcustomersmoreeasily.

2.4 MethodsofImplementingtheKnowledgeTriangleintheNordicCountries

AccordingtoastudyconductedbytheTechnopolisGroupin2011,activitiesofconnectingallthreepartsoftheknowledgetrianglehavebeencarried out in the Nordic countries, particularly in Sweden, Denmark andNorway.However,onlyinSwedenistheknowledgetriangletermactuallyused indocumentsandnationalpolicieswhenitdescribesthestrategiesthattargettheinteractionbetweeneducation,researchandinnovation.

Theactivities(seeAnnex3)thatarethoughttobeinlinewiththeconceptof theknowledge triangle includeavarietyofmethodssuchas:developingentrepreneurshipnationaland localprogramsandfunds,creatingneworganizationalarrangements(intheformofcentres,clubs,offices, councils or SHOKs in Finland) as the place of interaction betweenrepresentatives of the knowledge triangle, creating onlineplatforms, reorganizingor reforming the educationalprogramofuniversities andestablishingbusinessincubators.

2.4.1 DenmarkIn Denmark, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science, Ministry ofCulture and theMinistry of Finance and Economy have together developeda national strategy that involves an active investment in entrepreneurship throughout the entireDanish education system, as ameans ofturningknowledgeandideasintopracticeincollaborationwithresearchandtheprivatesector.Asadirectresultof this, in2010theDanishgovernmentestablishedaFund forEntrepreneurshipYoungEnterprise in2010whichsupportedtrainingforteachers,studentsandpupils.


An increasing number of universities in Denmark adopted organizational reforms that aim to reach the effects of the knowledge triangleframework,eventhoughtheydonotusethetermperse.

The agenda of the Danish Technical University (DTU) for the period20082013 encourages an active and close collaboration between technical and natural sciences, researchers and students, and between theuniversity and the surrounding community. The techniquesused to linkthe university to industry take the form of business consulting, internshipsorprojectbasedassignments forstudentswithinthebusinesssector. There are also options for cofunded PhDs and Enterprise PhDs(ErhvervsPhD),aschemeadministeredbytheMinistryofScience.

AarhusUniversity(AU)hasgonethroughmajororganizationalchanges. The university has reduced the number of independent faculties bycreating multidisciplinary and collaborative faculties: Arts, Science andTechnology,HealthandBusinessandSocialSciences.Thefourcoreactivities that the university focuses on are research, training, knowledge exchange and education. Thesemeasureshave had amajor impact on theemergenceof interdisciplinarysubjects thatproduceeasycollaborationsbetweenscientists,studentsandcompanyrepresentatives.Moreover,theuniversityhasanInterdisciplinaryCentreforEntrepreneurshipandInnovation(ICEI),whichassiststheuniversityinallareasandfulfilstheroleofacentreofexcellenceforEntrepreneurshipEducation.Thecentrestimulatestheuniversityscontactwiththecommunityandprivatecompanies,governmentagenciesandorganizations.

FollowingthemodelofAarhusUniversity,theUniversityofCopenhagendefinedtwelveinterdisciplinaryresearchthemesandengageditsstudentsindifferententrepreneurialactivities. Inadditionto this, theUniversityofCopenhagen Entrepreneurship Clubs, which was established out of students initiative, functions as an interdisciplinary centre that enables studentstobepartofprojectsincooperationwiththeindustry,andprovidesgraduatestudentswithamentoringprogramfortheircareerchoices.TheUniversity of Copenhagen has also become involved in several scientificnetworks. These methods contributed to strengthening the collaborationbetweenuniversities,governmentinstitutionsandprivatecompanies.

The IT University of Copenhagen (ITU) runs a number of activitieswhich encourage cooperation between students, researchers and busi


nesses.Withthehelpofanelectronicplatform,ITmatchmaking,studentscanmeeta largenumberofpotential employees, search for internships,project collaborations and trainee positions. The efforts are directed towards designing the universitys education programs and research inclosecontactwiththeindustry.Themethodsusedrangefromorganizinginternships, workshops, seminars, guest lectures and funding researchactivities.TheUniversityofSouthernDenmark(SDU)hasaspecialmanner of cooperationwith the private sector. In order to enhance the exchangeofknowledge,thefacultiesoftheUniversityofSouthernDenmarkworktogetherwithvariousexternalpartnersandbusinessesindifferentspecialcentres.Thesecentrespromotespecificinitiativesandactivitiestostrengthen the interaction and knowledge exchange between education,research and industry. For example, students and researchers benefitfromtrainingoncommercialization,patenting,partnershipsandbusinesscollaborations.Thereisalsoacentreofexcellenceforteachingentrepreneurship, called IDEAEntrepreneurshipCentre,whichprovides thenecessarytools,knowledgeandnetworksforstudents,educators,businessesand alumni. These range from courses, trainings, seminars, networkingactivitiesandcoachingfornewentrepreneurialideasandbusiness.

2.4.2 NorwayNorwayhasalsoimplementedanationalagendathatfocusesonanentrepreneurial approach that supports the cooperationbetweenuniversitieswithindustry,andthecommercializationandimplementationofresearchresults.JointactivitiesinNorwaybetweeneducationandindustryontheone hand, and research and industry on the other, can serve as a goodexampleofmethodstoimplementtheknowledgetriangle.

ACouncil,whichconsistsofuniversity,college,businessorNGOrepresentatives,hastobeestablishedineveryuniversityandcollegeinordertoincreasethenumberofcollaborationsbetweenuniversities,collegesandthebusinesscommunity.Thegovernmenthasdetermined thatuniversities need to pursue their social task and has introduced industrial relevanceasacriterionintheinstitutionalqualityassurancesystemofeducation.Inadditiontothat,companiesthatoperateresearchactivitieshaveadifferenttaxdeductionsystem.


Therearealso21researchdriven innovationcentres inNorway thatstimulate innovation through close cooperation between the businesscommunity and research. These centres are cofinanced by researchintensivecompanies,theresearchinstitutionsandtheResearchCouncilofNorway.Thesystemof thesecentreshasbeenwellreceivedby industryandtheparticipatingresearchpartners.

In2008thegovernment launchedaprogramforEnterprisePhDsdesignedtopromoteindustrybasedlongtermresearch,requiringthesamehigh scientific quality as in other graduate programs. Doctoral studentshad to be employees at a company andwork on issues of strategic importanceforbusinessdevelopment.Theprogramprovidesopportunitiesfor specialization anddepth on relevant issues to the individual companies,andisexpectedtohelpboostindustrialresearchskills,createarenasforcollaborationbetweenindustryanduniversities,andencourageindustrytoincreaseresearchinvestment.

Young Entrepreneurship is another organization which, in interactionwiththeNationalAgencyforEducationandtheindustryworkingwithentrepreneurshipineducation,offersprogramsforthewholeeducationsystem,fromprimarytohighereducation incollaborationwith industry.Thepurposeof theorganization is tostrengthencollaborationbetween industry,businessesandschoolstoinspirefutureresearchanddevelopment.

TheNorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnologyisthehostoffourcentresofresearchdriven innovation.Thesecentreshavetheroletoconsolidate the relationships between theNorwegian research environmentsand the business area, by supporting longterm research that promotesinnovationwithbenefitsforbusinesscompetitiveness.TheuniversitybenefitsfromaTechnologyTransferOfficewhichassistswithpolicy,rightsandcommercialactivitiesandhasaportalthathelpsitsstudentstostayincontactwiththeindustrythroughprojectsorpapers,amethodthatemphasizestheinteractionbetweeneducation,researchandbusiness.

In2010, theUniversityofOslo,adoptedanewstrategycalledStrategi2020thatgoeshandinhandwiththeknowledgetrianglespurpose.Thegoalistoturntheuniversityintoaleadinginternationaluniversitywhereresearch,educationandinnovationmustbeincloseinteraction.Aspartofachievingthisobjective, theUniversityofOslo isboundtofindsolutionsforcommercializingitsresearchinputandpromoteanentrepreneurship


educationmodelamongresearchersandstudents.Theconceptofinnovationisregardedthroughknowledgesharinganddevelopmentofrelationshipsbetweentheuniversityandbusinesses,agenciesandorganizations.

2.4.3 FinlandThe activities and strategies of the Development Centre for TechnologyandInnovation,Tekes,andtheAcademyofFinlandareorientedtowardssupporting innovation and research and its immediate utilization,whiletheResearch and Innovation Council of Finland focuses on all the threepartsoftheknowledgetriangle.However,thereisnomentionoftheconceptoftheknowledgetriangle;insteadtheCouncilspeaksaboutERI(Education,Research,andInnovation).

FinancedbyTekes, theAcademyof Finlandandby thebusinesses, anewformofcrosssectoralcentre,calledSHOK(StrategicCentresforScience,TechnologyandInnovation)hasbeenestablished.Theyfunctionasplatformsfornetworksbetweenresearchers,doctoralstudentsandindustrial representatives. Within these centres, longterm (up to ten years)projectsarecarriedoutwiththegoaltoachievescientificbreakthroughsandinnovationsthatcanaddressmajorsocietalchallenges.

Anexampleofauniversitythatoffersseveralinterdisciplinarycourses,trainingcoursesandresearch,andattachesgreatimportancetocooperationwith the surrounding community is AaltoUniversity. This is a newuniversitythatemergedasaresultoftheunionofthreeFinnishuniversities:HelsinkiSchoolofEconomics, theUniversityofArtandDesign,andtheHelsinkiUniversityofTechnology.Theopportunity toconduct interdisciplinaryresearchwithintheuniversityleadstoanincreasinginteractionbetweenexpertsfromdifferentfieldswhichisexpectedtoextendinlarger programs that dealwith societal needs.Moreover, the universityhas set up crossdisciplinary environments for learning, teaching andresearch called Factories. These centres facilitate research groups andstudents to work together with companies or public bodies. Anothermethod employed by Aalto University of strengthening the interactionbetween research, education and innovation, specific to the knowledgetriangleconcept,consistsinthefoundationoftheAaltoCenterforEntre


preneurship, which offers innovation, commercialization and startupservicesforresearchers,studentsandotherstakeholders.

Tampere University of Technology is in close collaboration with thebusiness community,which is viewedasapreferredpartner in industrialresearchanddevelopmentprojects.Theuniversityhas initiated close tieswithNokiaResearchCenterandin2007itestablishedtheNokiaInnovationCentertogetherwiththeUniversityofTampereandNokia.TheCenterprovides facilities for jointprojects,meetings anddiscussions, andaplace toorganizepubliclecturesforbothuniversitiesandNokiaspartners.

In addition to this centre, Nokia together with the Technical CentreHermiaandotherbusinessesanduniversitiesinTamperedevelopedDemola,anopeninnovationenvironmentinwhichstudentscanimplementdevelopmentprojectswithintheframeworkoftheircourseoftheirstudies,startingfromideasandneedsofcompanies,projectpartners,organizationsorinternationalDemolaNetworkpartners.

On1stJanuary2010,theuniversitiesofJoensuuandKuopiofollowedthemodelofAaltoUniversityandmergedtogetherintotheUniversityofEasternFinland.Thenewuniversitysetupitsgoaltowardsofferinginterdisciplinarycoursesandeducationbeyondtheboundariesoftheuniversity through close cooperation between research and teachingwithin thecommunity.Forthispurpose,theUniversityofEasternFinlandispartofthe Kastalia network. This network includes 15 institutions conductingteachertrainingacrossabroadspectrumofdisciplinesanditspurposeistodevelopprofessional teachereducationstudentsprofilesandto findwaysforcooperationindifferentfieldsandacademicactivities.TheUniversityofHelsinkiisanotherexampleofconnectingeducationtoresearch.Hereallresearchersareexpectedtoparticipateinteachingandallteachersareexpectedtoparticipate inresearch.AnexampleisthemultidisciplinaryCenterforResearchonActivity,DevelopmentandLearning(CRADLE),whereresearchonlearningandentrepreneurshipiscentral.Another example of crossborder activities are identified at the Network forHigherEducationandInnovationResearch(HEINE).Thenetworkaimstostrengthenresearchandeducationinthenaturalsciences,technologyandinnovation,andtheeconomy,andtoproducescientificknowledgethatisrelevant to educationalpolicymakingand that contributes to thedevelopmentofhighereducation.


2.4.4 IcelandInIceland,therehasbeenastrongfocusonlinkingresearchto innovation,andsomeuniversitiesmakeeffortstostrengthentheroleofeducationinsocietythroughaclosecooperationofstudentswithresearchersandcompanies.

AttheUniversityofIcelandandtheUniversityofReykjavik,therearewelldeveloped structures forknowledge transferbetween research andindustry,suchasbusinessincubators.Studentsareinvolvedininnovationactivitiesandencouragedtostartbusinesses.

Aimed at the implementation of entrepreneurial activities, a specialfundestablishedbytheMinistryofEducation,ScienceandCultureallowsstudents to engage in research and development projects during thesummer semester. Reykjavik City Council also contributes to the fund.Once submitted project applications are evaluated the most interestingaresupported.Inthisway,studentsbringintoeffecttheirideasindevelopment projects under teacher supervision while they come in contactwiththecompany.

The IcelandicCentre forResearchorRannisengaged inresearchandinnovation activities concerning the better utilization of scientificknowledgeandinternationalization.Astrategicprogrammehasbeensetout,theStrategicResearchProgrammeforCentresofExcellenceandResearch Clusters, which reinforces science and technologic research betweendifferentpartiesnationally,aswellasinternationally.

2.4.5 SwedenDuetothehighprioritythattheintegrationoftheknowledgetrianglehadinthestrategyadoptedbytheSwedishEUPresidencyin2009,theconcepthasgainedmomentum throughout Sweden and it has often been referred toamongtheactivitiesofuniversities,researchandininnovationpolices.

AfterthecompletionofitsPresidencyperiod,theSwedishgovernmentaskedadozenuniversitiestoreporttheactivitiesthathadasanobjectivetheinterplaybetweenthethreepolesoftheknowledgetriangle.Aninterdepartmentalworkinggroupwasalsoassignedtoaddresstheknowledgetriangleissuesintheresearchandinnovationbillfor2012,andtheAgencyforInnovationSystems,Vinnova,wascommissionedtooversee,consult


andidentifythemethodsthathavebeenefficientinSwedenorthosethatmustbe improved inorder to strengthen the continuous interactionbetween education, research and innovation. The Key Actors ProgrammecoordinatedbyVinnova,canbeseenasaknowledgetriangleinitiativeasit focuseson increasing the competence levelofkeyplayers in theSwedishinnovationsystem.

UmeUniversityhasrestructured itsmanagement inthespiritof theknowledgetriangle.Therearethreevicepresidentsinchargeofthemanagementof research, educationandcollaboration,and innovationsectorso that faculties and departmentswill bemore connected to each otherandcancollaboratemoreeasilywithinternalandexternalstakeholders.

AnotherexampleofanorganizationalsolutiontoadopttheknowledgetrianglewasappliedatrebroUniversity,whereeachoftheuniversityssevenschoolsbenefitfromanInnovationCouncil.Thesecouncilscontributealottoenlargingtheuniversitysnetworkofcontactsfrompublicandprivate areas. Through the council members joint expertise and input,theyhelpidentifypresentandfuturechallengesthatbusinessesandsocietyarecopingwith,andassisttheuniversitytobetterrespondtothem.

ChalmersUniversityofTechnologyhasalsocomeupwithauniqueorganizationmodel that allows interaction between researchers, teachers,students, entrepreneurs and the community. They created eight structurescalledArenasofAdvanceinordertoenablecooperationbetweenthe three poles of the knowledge triangle. The arenas have a scientificprofile andaim to address theneedsof societyand contribute to a sustainable future. For this reason, five of the Arenas of Advance receivedfinancialgovernmentsupport.

TheUniversityCollegeWestadoptedaworkintegrated learningprofileastheyhavecloseandongoingcontactwithover500workplacesduring the whole educational programme and very often they alternatecourseswithpaidworkintheareatheytrainfor.

AtJnkpingUniversity,entrepreneurshipcoursesareintegratedintomost educational programs and a lot of entrepreneurship activities aresponsored by over 800 companies. Moreover, the university financiallysupportstheBusinessLab,aplacewherestudentsandstaffhaveaccesstoa variety of resources to start and grow businesses. The Business Lab


startedwitharound100firmsin2010,outofwhichabout85werestartedbystudentsattheuniversity.

TheRoyalInstituteofTechnologyinStockholmis involvedintheEuropeanInstituteofInnovationandTechnologyactivitytomakeEuropeaglobal leader in innovations and support sustainable energy. The RoyalInstituteofTechnologyhasthusbecomeacorepartnerintwoKnowledgeandInnovationCommunities:EITInnoEnergyandEITICTLabs.Theuniversity searches formodels andgoodpractices fromother leading technicaluniversitiesinEuropesothatitcanconsolidateitselfasanentrepreneurialuniversityandgreateffort isdirectedtowardscreatinganindustrialfacultythatwillactivelyworkwithresearchersandcompanies.

Mid Sweden University has developed a flexible education programthat isbasedon collaborationwith industryandorganizations so that itcanincludeelementsofcreativityandentrepreneurship.Skarpreisoneof thecoursepackages initiatedbyregionalstakeholders toeducateandtrainindividualstomanageinnovationprocesses.Studentsdeveloptheirownideasorcontributewithideasonbehalfofexternalbusinessesinthefieldsoftourism,sportsandoutdoorproducts.

ResearchersatMidSwedenUniversityworkonjointprojectswithindustryandthepublicsector.Withthisinview,theuniversityhasbuiltupcentreswhere researchers actively collaboratewith external actors.TheCentre forPoliticalCommunicationResearchand theEuropeanTourismResearch Institute (ETOUR) are two examples of these centres whichfunction as a large researchunit that supports the commercializationofresearchresults.

Anotherpromoterthatencouragesthepartnershipbetweenacademicresearchersandthebusinesssectorisrepresentedbyaresearchfundforuniversities called the Knowledge Foundation. This nongovernmentalfoundation finances research at Swedens sixteen new universities andhigher education institutions for thepurpose of strengthening Swedenscompetitivenessandabilitytocreatevalue,asuniversitiesplayasignificantroleinknowledgecreationandresearch.


2.5 MethodsintheUSA

2.5.1 RegionalInnovationClustersintheUnitedStatesIn theUnitedStatesofAmerica, similaritieswith theknowledge trianglemodelarereflectedintheCouncilonCompetitivenessstrategyofdeveloping and implementing a frameworkof regional innovation clusters asinnovationbased economic growth drivers, which later turned into theinitiative to create regional innovation hot spots to enable cooperationand knowledge transfer, as the Councils flagship National InnovationInitiativein2005shows.

Thisobjectivecalledforestablishingformsofeffectiveregionalleadershipthatwouldbeinchargeofoperatingthemechanismswhichlinkeachregions individual assets such as people, institutions, capital and infrastructure, and solve the competing interests among cities, counties andtowns.PartneringwiththeEconomicDevelopmentAdministration(EDA)of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Council engaged in creating anew publicprivate partnership and focused on helping regions actinglikeregionswhichmeansthat actionmustbestrategic, focusedon thelongrangeuseofassetstoenhanceglobalcompetitiveness.20

In the Councils view, the regions and an effective regional leadershipmust focus on strategic projects and seek existing regional organizationswhichareabletofacilitatemeetings,developagendas,etc.,andeventuallyserveassystemsintegratorsandenablersofcollaboration.21Examplesofsuccessful leadershipforregionalcollaborationshasshowcasedthatwhilethe leadershipbody isusually a coalition, there is alwaysanorganizationthatregulatesactivitiesandprovidesconvergenceattheregionallevel.

Economic regions and political jurisdictions are not contained in thesameboundariesintheUnitedStates.Howeverthisaspecthasbeenseenasanadvantageasalackofstrictboundariesallowsaregiontheflexibility

20TheCouncilonCompetitiveness.(2010).Collaborate.LeadingRegionalInnovationClusters,p.8.Retrieved2ndJuly2013,fromhttp://www.compete.org/images/uploads/File/PDF%20Files/Final_Collaborate.pdf21Ibid.,p.6.


tocreatepartnershipsbasednotjustonproximity,butalsoonopportunity. Moreover, the regions can pursue strategies that adapt to changingcircumstances and respond to market demands. The only condition forregional collaboration to function efficiently is toalign its actions to thethreeCs:Conversation,ConnectionandCapacity.

The regional conversation aims to intensify regional awareness andmay take the formofannual townmeetings, citizen forums, regional reports,articlesandstudiesabouttheregionpublishedin localmedia,etc.Theregionalconnectionrefers to the interactionbetweenregionsoractors coming from different disciplines which also take the form of networks.Accordingto theCouncilonCompetitiveness, these interrelationships are better facilitated and coordinated by economic developmentintermediaryorganizationsorprivate andpublicpartnerships thathavebeenproventobuildbridgesbetweenindustry,academiaandthepublicsector.The regional capacityunderlines theneedof takingadvantageofanyexistingregionalresourcesthatmaycontributetoincreasingtheeconomic competitiveness of the region, such as companies leveraging universitiesnetworksorsourcesofcapital.

2.5.2 CommunityCollegesandIndustryBasedCurriculaIn theUnitedStates, community collegesarea formofhighereducationwhich spans for up to two years. After graduation, students can eithercontinuetheirpostsecondaryeducationatatraditionalfouryearinstitutionorenterthelocallabourmarket.

Communitycollegesareconsidered toplayamajor role in filling thegap between education and innovation because of their partnership effortswithemployerstoaligncollegecurriculawithworkforceneeds.

Many community colleges have pursued the idea of developing theircurriculainagreementwithemployersskilldemands.Themethodsvaryfromcontractingwithemployers to includingemployersasoneofmanypartnersandcooperatingwithindustrygroupstoprepareworkforcetailored training to their students, receive general guidance on workforceissues,acquireequipmentandcreateinternshipopportunitiesforitsstudents. The outcomes of college collaborationwith businesses often takethe shape of apprenticeship programs or certification programs which


address the companies specific competence needs. Through these programs, the curriculumbecomes highly integratedwith industry content,moreuniformand standardized, and students improve skills relevant totheworkplace realities,making expectations coherent for both studentsandemployers.

McDonalds EnglishUnder theArches program is one exampleof apartnershipbetweencommunitycollegesandbusinesses.Developedwiththehelpofanadvisorypanelof national adultEnglishasa second languageexperts,McDonaldsmanagedtointegrateintotheCollegeofLakeCountyinIllinoiscurriculumspecificworkplaceknowledge,terms,forms,andskillsnecessarytobecomeasuccessfulmanagerataMcDonaldsfranchise.22ThemodulesweretaughtbyInternetandtelephonebycommunitycollegeinstructorsrecruitedbyMcDonalds.TheprogramimmediatelygainedrecognitionbysomestateinstitutionswhichconsidereditasaninnovativenationalmodelofimmigrantintegrationandofcorporatesupportforEnglishliteracydevelopment.23

TheEssentialSkillsProgramattheCommunityCollegeofDenver,inColorado,isanotherexampleofcreatinganeducationalmodulespeciallydesigned to address the changing local labourmarket needs in variousindustries.Itlastsuptofourmonthsduringwhichtimestudentscombineinternship experience with classes and thus receive both college creditand work experience. The program teaches basic skills in IT, financialservices, accounting, community health, early childhood education and,after its completion, students are offered an Essential Skills Certificatewhichisacknowledgedbylocalbusinesses.AccordingtoareportfromtheBreakingThroughinitiativeattheCommunityCollegeofDenver,theprogramcontributedtoincreasingtheemploymentrateupto86%forthosewhocompletedtheprogram.

However, apartnershipatamuch larger scale,betweenanumberofcommunitycollegesandemployers,hasbeenestablishedwiththehelpof

22U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofVocationalandAdultEducation.(2001).IntegratingIndustryDrivenCompetenciesinEducationandTrainingThroughEmployerEngagement,p.5.Retrieved2ndJuly2013,fromhttp://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cclo/brief4employerengagement.pdf23Ibid.,p.6.


the National Science Foundation, in order to create a standardized curriculumthatincorporatesindustryskillsandcompetences.InitiallysetupasapartnershipbetweentheKentuckyCommunityandTechnicalCollegeSystemandToyota tomodify technicaleducation in linewithworkforcerequirements,theAutomotiveManufacturingTechnicalEducationCollaborative(AMTEC)nowconsistsof30communitycollegesand34businesses, including Toyota, Ford, GeneralMotors, BMW, and it operates in 12states.ThecurriculumdesignedbyAMTECiscomprisedof12coursesand62modulesthatcanbechangedandadaptedtolocaltrainingneeds.

Thewholeconsortiumissummonedtwiceayeartoplanfurtherpartnerships,establishcareerpathwaysandfutureindustryskillneeds,helpingthustobridgeimportantlanguageandculturalgapsbetweeneducationandindustry.24

Thebenefitsarenumerousforall thethreeactors involved:students,community colleges and businesses. While students get a customizedtrainingconnectedtotheworkforcerequirementsandcommunitycolleges build an industryrecognized curriculum, companies ensure futurehighlytrainedworkersandinteractwithotherbusinesses.

FundedbytheJoyceFoundationShiftingGears,theRegionalIndustrySkillsEducation (RISE) is a regionalpartnershipbetween theWisconsinDepartmentofWorkforceDevelopmentandtheWisconsinTechnicalCollegeSystem,aimed toprovide trainingopportunities for lowskill adultsandsupportthecreationofcareerpathwaysinWisconsin.ThroughRISE,collegesinWisconsinhaveadirectcollaborationwithemployerswhoareworkingintheadvisorycommitteesforoccupationalandtechnicaldegreeprogramsateachofthestates16technicalcolleges.

Inotherwords,theRISEinitiativeengagesthestatesbusinessesintheprocess of policy innovation in designing a new career pathwaysmodeland bridge programs at its technical community colleges. As a consequence, adult learnerswill find it easier to transition to postsecondaryeducationprogramsandmeetlabourmarketneeds.

24Ibid.,p.8.


Even thoughmanypartnershipshavebeen formed tobridge the gapbetween education and industry, researchers claimed that more information on how to build innovative partnerships should be promoted, amore open communication between employers and colleges should bepracticedandamorecentralsharedknowledgebaseshouldbeconstructedtofacilitateaccesstosolutionsfoundbyotherswhofacedsimilar implementationchallenges.25

2.6 MethodsinCanadaInCanada,thereareanumberofnationalinnovationpoliciesandprovincial and regional programs that encourage the emergence of universityindustry linkages and knowledge transfer. The Canadian governmentsScience and Technology Strategy,Mobilizing Science and Technology toCanadasAdvantage, isfocusedonanagendathatpromotesamorecompetitiveand sustainableCanadianeconomywith thehelpof scienceandtechnology.OneofthecoreprinciplesofTheStrategyanditspolicycommitmentsistofocusondevelopingnewpartnershipsorleveragingexisting collaborations between business, academic, and public sectors because Through partnerships, the unique capabilities, interests, and resources of various and varied stakeholders can be brought together todeliverbetteroutcomes.26

Therefore, the federal governmenthas set the goal to pursuepublicprivateresearchandcommercializationpartnershipsinordertopromotethedevelopmentofthecountrysentrepreneurialadvantage.

Themeans to accomplish this is to strengthen federally funded programs such as the Networks of Centers of Excellence (NCE) Program,which connects university and industry researchers, and to create newbusinessorientedresearchNCEnetworks,calledBusinessLedNetworksofCentersofExcellence.Asof2007,thesecentreshavespunoff117com

25Ibid.,p.10.26CanadasNewGovernment.(2007).MobilizingScienceandTechnologytoCanadasAdvantage,p.11.Ottawa:PublishingandDepositoryServices.


paniesandhelpedthedevelopmentofmorethan6,000qualifiedprofessionals, including researchers, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students,andtechnicians.27

Moreover, efforts are focused towards facilitating the transfer andcommercializationoftechnologyfromCanadianuniversitiestotheprivatesector.A financial contributionof $350million supports theoperationalexpensesofeightCanadianresearchandcommercializationcentrescapableofgloballeadershipinareasofnationalstrategicimportance,mostofthemaffiliatedorunderthegovernanceofuniversities,andfinanceothercentres that promote initiatives of research collaborations between researchers in thepublicandprivatesectors.The federalgovernmentalsoprompts the cooperation between community colleges and local firmswiththegoaltoemulatetheregionalinnovationsystemsbyproviding$48millionoverfiveyears.

All the councils of the networks, centres and college initiatives aresupportedand supervisedby a tricouncil privatesector advisoryboardestablishedbythefederalgovernment.Comprisinganexaminationandacomparison on how the universityindustry knowledge transfer takesplaceinCanadaandinothercountries,aresearchreportissuedwithintheProgram on Globalization and Regional Innovation Systems at MunkSchoolofGlobalAffairs,alsounderlinestheroleof intermediaries,or innovation support organizations, in enabling the transfer of knowledge,diffusionofknowhow,bridgeinformationgapsbetweenuniversitiesandfirms,providestructuresanddynamics,or,ata local level,establishnetworks,offerresourcesandconsequentlyhelp improveprivatesector innovation.28TheseintermediariesmaybeidentifiedintheembodimentofTechnology and Innovation Centers, Centers of Excellence, CompetenceCenters,InnovationandCommercializationCenters,BusinessIncubators,Acceleratorsorventurecapitalfirms.

27Ibid.,p.56.28Bramwell,A.,Hepburn,N.,&Wolfe,D.(2012).GrowingInnovationEcosystems:UniversityIndustryKnowledgeTransferandRegionalEconomicDevelopmentinCanada,p.30.Retrieved2ndJuly2013,fromhttp://www.utoronto.ca/progris/presentations/pdfdoc/2012/Growing%20Innovation%20Ecosystems15MY12.pdf


AccordingtotheHauserReport,29theTechnologyandInnovationCentersmakeanimportantimpactonachievingtheobjectivesofgovernmental and public national and regional innovation programs, policies andstrategiesonbridging thegapbetweenacademic researchandcommercialexploitation.

Althoughthefederalgovernment launchedBusinessLedNetworksofCenters of Excellence (BLNCEs) and theCenters ofExcellence for Commercialization Research (CECRs) which have similar functions as Technology and InnovationCenters, Canada lacks an appropriate level of research infrastructure support. According to the Canada Foundation forInnovation,thecountryneedstofoundCanadianphysicalinnovationhubsthat will gather researchers and business leaders, entrepreneurs andintellectual property experts, and technicians and students.30 Universities,academicresearchersandstudentsalikecanreapnumerousbenefitsoutofthecreationofthistypeofinnovationcentre:companieshaveaccess to the talent and specialized equipment that is often beyond theirreachandresearchersandgraduatestudentsareexposedtotheentrepreneurialcultureofbusiness.31

PatryandMoormanalsoarguesthatthetechnologypushmodelemployed by the Centers in Canadamust be shifted to demand pullmodels,32wherethefocusisoncoveringtheknowledgeneedsofindustryandsocietyandnotjustonresearchinstitutions.Inadditiontothis,similarlytotheSHOKmodelinFinland,researchprojectsagendashouldbeinitiatedbybusinesspersonnel incollaborationwithresearchers,andnot justbyuniversitybasedacademics.

AnotherweaknessofCanadasestablishedCenterswhichdamagesitseffectivenessto foster innovation isattributedtothe focusonproducing

29Hauser,H.(2010).TheCurrentandFutureRoleofTechnologyandInnovationCentersintheUK.London:DepartmentofBusinessInnovationandSkills.30Patry,G.,&Moorman,D.(2012).TechnologyandInnovationCentres:TheKeytoImprovingCollaboration?PolicyOptions,p.66.RetrievedJuly2013,fromhttp://www.irpp.org/assets/po/theliberalrenewal/patry.pdf31Ibid.,p.68.32Ibid.,p.68.


sectorwide benefits, instead of directing its efforts towards addressingknowledgeneedsofindividualcompanies.

When looking at themost successfulmodel for a national network ofTechnologyandInnovationCentersaccordingtotheHouserReport,namelythe German model of Fraunhofer Institutes, Patry and Moorman suggestthatCanadacanalsofollowtheexampleofcommittingtouseresearchforeconomicinterestsandwithacustomerserviceorientationinmind.

2.7 MethodsinAustraliaAustralias national strategy Powering Ideas An InnovationAgenda forthe21stCentury is a tenyear reform agenda tomake the countrymoreproductive andmore competitive by strengthening the national innovationsystem.

Toachievethisgoal,theAustralianGovernmenthasadoptedsevenNationalInnovationPriorities,partofwhichunderlinetheneedtostimulateacultureofcollaborationbetweenresearchersandindustry,andwithintheresearch field toenableknowledge flowandvaluecreation.Thisobjectiveurgesa seriesof actions todouble the level of collaborationbetween Australian businesses, universities, and publiclyfunded researchagencies over thenext decade.33 In addition, the2020 visionhighlightsthe collaboration between researchers, businesses and governments tofoster value from commercial innovation and to address national andglobalchallenges.

The Australian Government addresses the problem of a fragmentedinnovationsystembyencouragingcollaborationand improvingrelationshipsbetweenresearchersandindustrybyjustpersuadingpeopletotalktoeachother34andbysettingup formalpartnerships,resourcepoolingarrangements,exchangesofpersonnel,etc.

33CommonwealthofAustralia.(2009).PoweringIdeas:anInnovationAgendafortheTwentyFirstCentury,p.8.Canberra:DepartmentofInnovation,Industry,ScienceandResearch.34Ibid.,p.60.


Aninstrumenttoenhancethelinksbetweenresearchersandindustryis to leverage the Cooperative Research Centers Program which, since1990,hasworked topromotepublicprivate researchpartnerships. Furthermore, funding of the program has been directed to the humanities,artsandsocialsciences.Themissionoftheprogramforthecomingyearsalsofocusestoengagemoresmallandmediumsizedcompanies.However,inordertomaximizethefullpotentialofsmallerfirms,thegovernmenthasdevelopedanother initiativecalledEnterpriseConnect.Thisnewaction supports and provides assistance to small andmediumsized businesses, encourages small companies to add value through collaborationwithlargerfirmsandpublicresearchinstitutionsandtapintoanationalnetworkofcentres.Inthelongrun,EnterpriseConnectwillalsospurthedevelopmentofregionalinnovationclustersandnetworks.

Effortswerealsomadetosupportthecapacityofpublicresearchinstitutions,promotetheresearchresultsandmakethemwidelyaccessible.Inorder to maximize the number of research groups, the Australian Government invested in research infrastructure and increased universityresearch funding, by providing competitive project grants, researchawards and fellowships and through an Education Investment Fund forresearchandteachinginfrastructure.

TheJointResearchEngagementSchemepromotesresearchcollaboration between universities, industry and endusers. Funding under thisschemeisallocatedonthebasisofdemonstratedresearchexcellenceanddemonstratedabilitytoattractfundingfromothersources.Moreover,theCollaborativeResearchNetworksSchemesupportssmaller,regional,andless researchintensive universities towork togetherwith other institutionstoincreasetheirresearchcapacityandarrangethemselvesintohubsandspokesforbettercooperation.

2.8 MethodsinAsiaThepartnershipbetweenuniversitiesandindustryinthefieldsofscienceand technology inAsia utilizesmanymechanisms. These range from informal exchanges between scientists to formal arrangements which involve longterm relationships between institutions. The formal partner


shipsinAsiarefertotheformsoftechnology35(understoodasmachinery,equipment,knowhowandinformation)transferwithinuniversities,consultingservices,knowledgetransferandcollaborativeprojects.Thescopeandmethod of establishing working relations between universities andindustryvaryfromcountrytocountry.

The developments of UI (UniversityIndustry) collaboration in manyAsian countrieshavebeen the result of concentratedpublicpolicy effortsrespondingtoglobalizationandlossofcompetitiveness.Asaresultofthis,thefocusofthecollaborationsskewsheavilytowardstechnologyandlookingforwaystoinnovateandgainadvantageswithinnewerareasoftechnologicalresearch.ThegovernmentofJapan,forinstance,chosetofocusheavilyonlifesciencesaswellasnanoandinformationtechnologies.

Manyof theeffortshavefocusedontherelaxationofregulationsandchanging laws to allow for greater interaction and movement betweenuniversities, industry and institutions for technological and knowledgetransfer.Anothermeasureadoptedwasensuringfundingschemeswhichbring adequate financial resources to research at universities.While industry,universitiesandotherinstitutionsshouldbefreetodevelopworkingrelationships,itisgenerallybelievedthatgovernmentalresponsibilityliesinestablishinglawsandpracticesthatwouldgiveincentivestowardscollaborative research activities. Amajor problem forAsian universitieshasbeenthelackofstafftrainedtohandlethecomplexandmultidisciplinaryworkofUIcollaboration.Thereisaneedtotrainindividualsonhowthetwocommunities,academiaandindustry,work.

2.8.1 JapanDuringthelate1990s,theJapanesegovernmentstartedtobecomeinterested in establishing a supportive relationshipbetweenuniversities andindustries.ThiswasmainlybecauseJapanwas losing itscompetitiveadvantageoverothercountriessuchastheU.S.,ChinaandSouthKorea.Jap

35Nezu,R.(2005).TechnologyTransfer,IntellectualPropertyandEffectiveUniversityIndustryPartnerships,p.45.Japan:FujitsuResearchInstitute.


anese companies became interested in utilizing the research opportunitiesandadvancedknowledgedevelopedbyuniversities.

AcademiawasalsofallingbehindtheirWesterncounterpartsbynotinteractingwith the industry. Universitieswere forced to look over policesandmethodstoadaptthemtonewrealities.Universitiesbeingstateownedwereperceivedasahindranceandasof2004the legalstatusof Japaneseuniversities changed to independent administration agencies instead ofgovernmentinstitutions,allowingthemgreaterleewaytomanagetheirownaffairs and partnerships. The universities would make their scientificknowledgeavailabletobusinessesandcommercializeit,aswellasusehighcalibreprivatesectorlaboratoriesthatmaybeusefulfortheirpurposes.

The lawnotonlyaimsatmakinguniversitiesmoreresponsive to theneeds of a changing society by giving them more freedom, but it alsomakes them accountable for creating value for Japanese society. ThechangedlegalstatusofuniversitiesinJapanallowedthemtoowntheresearchandtechnologytheydevelop.Universityspawnedventuresaretheresultofcommercializedresearch,andtheyincreasedinJapanafterfacultiesofuniversitiescouldworkoutsidethecampus,whichwasprohibitedwhenuniversitiesweregovernment institutions. Japanhas lookedat theoverall creationof suchventuresasameasureofUIcollaboration.Asaconsequence,betweentheperiodof2002and2005,over1,000suchventureshavebeeninitiated.36

2.8.2 ChinaChinahasalonghistoryofknowledgetransferfromuniversitiestoindustry though in the beginning itwas a side effect of the Communist Partycallinguponuniversitiestocontributetowardstheincreaseofproduction.

After the changes of policy that took place during 1980, universitieswere allowed to make their own decisions based onmarket situations,anddeveloptheirownresearch.Theyweregivenconsiderablefreedomin

36Nishio,K.(2005).JapaneseUniversityIndustryPartnershipsforthePromotionofInnovationandTechnologyTransfer,p.1011,34.NewYork:WorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization.


seeking tobuildprofitmaking spinoffsor to collaborateoutsideof academia. Consultant services, contractual research and enterprise incubation has allowed university faculties to work with the private businesssector.Also,alargepartoffundingforscientificresearchinChineseuniversitiesiscomingfromprivateinvestors.

Just like Japan,Chinahasa largenumberofuniversityspawnedventures. Towards the end of 1990, China relaxed a number of regulationsand laws, and desired to create mechanisms for students to be able toworkparttimeatcompaniesandreceivetrainingfromprofessionals.TheChinesegovernmentalsoadvocatedmeasuresforuniversitiestoestablishtransfer offices that could work with the industry. The offices thatemergedweremainlyconcernedwithtechnologytransferandweremodeledaftersimilarventuresintheUSAin2005.Chinahad70scienceparksand incubators at universities, as well as thousands of new enterprisescreatedbyuniversities.

2.8.3 SouthKoreaInorder tonarrowtheeconomicgapbetween itselfandothercountrieslikeJapan,theRepublicofKoreahasfocusedonacloserworkingrelationshipbetweenuniversities andbusinesses. Several lawshave formed thebasisofUI collaboration inKorea, legislations that freeduniversities topursue research in commercial areas. Universities in Korea are able toworkwithbusinessesforcommercialpurposesandresearchersatuniversitieshavethepossibilitytoworkinprivatesectorcompanies.Moreover,the lawshavechangedthe legalstatusofuniversityprofessors,allowingthemgreaterflexibilitytocooperatewiththeindustry.

Duringtheturnofthe20thcentury,theIndustryUniversityCooperation Foundation was established. The foundation has an office at everyuniversityand itmanages legalandcooperative issuesbetween theuniversityandthecompaniesitcollaborateswith.TheemphasisofthefoundationjustlikeitscounterpartsinJapanorChina,ismainlyontechnologyandtechnologytransferbetweenthecollaborativeparties.

The private sector heavily invests in research and development inSouthKorea, the result being that universities find it attractive toworkwith private enterprise as their laboratories receive better funding and


equipmentandcanmaintainahighlevelofresearch.Studentsalsopreferuniversitieswith closeworking relationships to industry as it increasesthechancesforjobopportunitiesaftergraduation.

2.8.4 SingaporeSingaporediscovered theneed for innovationanddeeper collaborationsbetween universities and industry much earlier than their neighbours.Havingonlytwouniversitiesattheturnofthe20thcentury,bothofthemhadalonghistoryofcollaboratingwithindustry.

Thiscultureof interactiondevelopedthroughmanyactivitiessuchasinternships,researchcollaborationandindustryparticipation intheacademic departments. Unlike other Asian countries that changed laws inordertofacilitateUIcooperation,Singaporealreadyhadalonghistoryofthetwocommunitiesworkingtogetherandmanyoftheproblemsassociated with technology transfer were already solved by using commonbusinesslawsandpractices.

2.8.5 ThailandWhileThailandhasbecomeaglobalproductionhubthroughhighlevelsofforeign investment, thecountrysownprivatesectorhasnotbeenactiveinpushingresearch.WhiletheThaigovernmentisawareofthebenefitsofUI collaboration, according to the 2005 Fujitsu Report,37 there was noreal framework established. However, existing UI coll