Assessment of industry's perception of effective mechanisms to stimulate academia-industry collaboration in Sub-Saharan Africa

S.U. Nsanzumuhire*, W. Groot, S.J. Cabus, M.P. Ngoma, J. Masengesho

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

To reach the desired level of university-industry collaboration (UIC) in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, specific strategies and operational mechanisms are needed. For this, an in-depth understanding of the specificities of the context concerning the UIC influencing factors is necessary. Such an understanding is still limited in SSA. This study evaluates industry's perception regarding UIC and its stimulating mechanisms using unique primary data collected from 125 agroprocessing companies operating in Rwanda. Data on companies' preferences for stimulating mechanisms were collected using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). The findings indicate a low level of perceived value from current UIC activities. The most hampering challenges are related to the fact that students are not well prepared to take part in collaboration activities and to irrelevant research outputs. Companies' preferences regarding stimulating mechanisms are mainly the provision of financial incentives for instilling commitment, the use of an external independent company as a form of UIC governance and building trust using the provision of high-quality graduates and research. The study draws on industry preferences to make recommendations on the best way to stimulate UIC in developing countries.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)409-432
Number of pages24
JournalIndustry and Higher Education
Volume37
Issue number3
Early online date1 Oct 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2023

Keywords

  • University-industry collaboration
  • stimulating mechanisms
  • perception
  • company commitment
  • university-industry collaboration governance
  • trust-building
  • KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
  • TRUST FORMATION
  • UNIVERSITY
  • ORGANIZATIONS
  • BARRIERS
  • CHANNELS
  • GOVERNANCE
  • COUNTRIES
  • FRAMEWORK
  • LINKAGES

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