Barriers and opportunities for deepening cooperation between universities and companies
Centre for Higher Education Studies conducted an analysis aimed at identifying barriers and opportunities for cooperation between universities and companies in the Czech Republic. The project, commissioned by the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic and funded under Section 320a (a) of the Labour Code, focused on two key areas: research, development and innovation and practical teaching of students. The results were also presented at a miniconference organised by the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic on 18 November 2024.
About the project and the objectives of the analysis
The main objective of the project was to understand the current problems in cooperation between the academic and corporate sectors and to propose specific measures to improve this cooperation. CHES carried out the analysis based on a combination of methods, including analysis of available sources, including international inspirational examples, semi-structured interviews with 63 communication partners from both academic and business environments, and three focus groups to deepen the conclusions from the interviews.
This approach enabled the identification of both barriers to collaboration and factors that can facilitate it.
Main barriers to cooperation
The analysis highlighted a number of barriers that complicate effective cooperation:
Cultural differences: academia is focused on long-term research and theoretical knowledge, while companies prefer quick applications and direct business outputs
Administrative burden: the complexity of project and grant processes is a deterrent, especially for smaller firms without sufficient capacity
Financial constraints: lack of resources prevents many firms from investing in collaboration with HEIs, especially in R&D
Legal obstacles: unclear intellectual property issues discourage firms from collaborating, especially smaller ones
Insufficient systemic support: lack of capacity and coordination, for example in the area of technology transfer
Recommended actions
Based on the analysis, several measures are proposed, including:
Bridging the cultural gap between companies and HEIs by setting communication and aligning expectations
Streamlining and simplifying the bureaucracy associated with research, development and innovation projects and creating a single transparent environment for all types of projects
Introducing specific programmes to support cooperation between HEIs and SMEs
Systematic solution of conditions for the effective functioning of professional doctorates
Creation of legal and financial support for patent and licensing procedures, including expert consultations for smaller companies
Support for internships: expanding internship opportunities for students and academics in the business sector.
Promoting long-term partnerships that benefit all involved.
Although the analysis revealed a number of obstacles, it mainly pointed to a huge untapped potential for developing cooperation.
Centre for Higher Education Studiessincerely thanks all communication partners from HEI‘s and companies for their valuable time and shared experiences.
Resources and further information
The full analysis and presentation of the main findings are available for download:
Analysis – PDF to download
Presentation – PPT to download
Further information about the project is also available on the website of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic: Co brání lepší spolupráci vysokých škol a firem?
