The Model of Collaboration between Universities and Industry through Knowledge Brokers
Keywords:
Stakeholders, Industry, Intervening factor/variableAbstract
Purpose: The present study aimed to design a model for promoting university–industry collaboration through knowledge brokers and to identify the dimensions, components, and outcomes of such collaboration within the framework of innovation systems and the knowledge-based economy.
Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted using the Strauss and Corbin grounded theory approach. The participants included 15 knowledge brokers and members of university–industry liaison offices selected through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. To ensure validity and reliability, participant review, expert evaluation, test–retest reliability, and inter-coder agreement methods were employed, all of which confirmed the trustworthiness of the coding process.
Findings: The analysis resulted in the extraction of 385 initial propositions, 166 open codes, 29 axial categories, and 13 selective categories. The findings indicated that organizational and individual resources of brokers acted as causal conditions significantly influencing university–industry collaboration. Intervening conditions included challenges related to suppliers, demand-side actors, and brokers themselves, all of which affected the effectiveness of collaboration. The results further demonstrated that university-oriented strategies, governmental support strategies, and brokerage programs contributed substantially to strengthening interactions between universities and industries. The consequences of the model included enhancement of industrial internal and external environments, increased university capabilities, national production growth, market expansion, employment generation, and social welfare improvement. Moreover, the “power of the broker role” emerged as the core category and the central mechanism facilitating successful knowledge and technology transfer between universities and industry.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that knowledge brokers can serve as an effective mechanism for bridging the gap between universities and industries by facilitating communication, reducing conflicts, transferring technology, and developing collaborative networks. Structural, legal, and educational support for brokers may further strengthen their effectiveness and contribute to the advancement of national innovation systems and the knowledge-based economy.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Atefeh Parsayan (Author); Mohammad Ali Nadi; Mohsen Loh Mousavi (Author)
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