WHOI-90-52

All is not new. Commentators sometimes write as if relationships between universities and
industry were totaly new. In fact, recgnizable anteents go far back in time. For example,
academic chemistry has, from the beginning, been closely tied to industral chemistr. Much
of modern biology is also deeply rooted in the sech for solutions to practica agricultura,
medica, and industral problems. Similarly, computer science is closely tied to applications.
And, of course, the set of applied scientific fields which cal themselves "engineering disciplines"
are also by their origin and their nature oriente to applications. Propositions about a natura
chasm between academic science and industral science have often been drawn too sharly and
too globally. Indee, academic science and industral science in the Unite States grew up
together.
It is certnly tre, however, that we are currently seing an explosion in the number of alliances
between universities and industry, and we are observing qualitative changes in their form. What
lies behind this recnt surge of new arangements among universities and industr? Universities
are seking new sources of support for resech, including equipment and facilties, ways to
strengthen their education programs, new outlets for faculty interested in commercial and
entrepreneurial activities, and increase effectiveness in contrbuting to loc, regional, and
national technologica, ecnomic, and social goals. Industr looks to the new alliances as a
source of taent (both students and faculty), as a window on new areas of science and
engineering, and as a source of speific ideas for improvements in products and procsses.
Federa and state governments look to enhance linkages between industr and universities as one
meas to maintan or regain technologica primacy in a varety of industres and thereby to
nurtre state, regional, and national ecnomic growth.
Variaton and diversity. The alliances are characterize by a great dea of varety and diversity.
University cultures var as do their attitudes towards the kinds of relationships with industr that
are, or are not, appropriate. Those institutions with long stading liberal ars traditions tend to
avoid relationships other than those that support basic resech. The technica universities have
shown a greater wilingness to engage in applied resech with industr funding, a greater respet
for the proprieta interest of the funding source, and a greater interest in continuing close
interactions with industr. Companies also differ in their views toward resech, toward in-house
and externaly sponsored resech, and toward collaboration with other companies and with
universities.
Given ths cultural varation, it is not surprising that the new parerships var considerably in
the kinds of activities and arangements that are involved. Some are largely concerned with
basic resech. In other arangements, the purpse of the work is to solve a well-defined
practica problem. Training of undergraduate and graduate students may, or may not, be par
of the program. Consulting by the involved university personnel is in some caStS restrcte, but
in others, consultation is an importt aspet of the argement. Similarly, in some cases
constrnts are impose to limit faculty entrepreneurship, while in others the argement is
designed to channel or faciltate entrepreneurship.
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