Title: Building social capital and learning environment in university–industry relationships

Authors: Alok K. Chakrabarti, Michael D. Santoro

Addresses: New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. ' College of Business and Economics, Lehigh University, 621 Taylor Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA

Abstract: University–industry interactions have become an important phenomenon in recent years. Universities are viewed as engines of economic growth in the era of a knowledge economy. The recent literature on this topic is somewhat restrictive, as it has taken a resource-based view. We have argued here that an often over looked contribution that a university can make in its relationships with industrial firms is the building of social capital. On the basis of a study of university-industry research centres in the US, we have identified three dimensions of the interaction patterns analogous to the dimensions of social capital in terms of communication structure, sharing of visions and priorities, and building of a trusting relationship. We also explore the factors that help build these dimensions and their effect.

Keywords: intellectual capital; social capital; technology and knowledge transfer; university–industry collaboration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLIC.2004.004421

International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 2004 Vol.1 No.1, pp.19 - 36

Published online: 10 May 2004 *

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