Empirical Examination of the Dynamic Attributes of Industry – University Partnerships

The complexity and extent of current social issues requires different institutions to coordinate efforts and resources in the pursue to address these challenges. As such, cross-sector partnerships have become a central theme on the social role and responsibilities of businesses, but with its dynamic, multi-stakeholder and inter-organizational characteristics, it can be challenging to define a common structure that facilitates the creation of successful partnerships. This study examines the partnerships between industry and university to understand and differences of perceptions during the collaborations. Based on the qualitative analysis of 21 interviews with relevant actors from universities and industry in Mexico, this article proposes a three-level model of the societal, bilateral, and internal self-proclaimed attributes of the industry – university partnerships.