The EC tested a new concept to promote demand-driven industry-academia knowledge exchange and uptake through international co-creation teams.
As a contribution to the broader goal of improving knowledge valorisation in Europe, the European Commission (EC) has published a study testing a new concept to promote demand-driven industry-academia knowledge exchange and uptake. In line with the European Research Area and the European Skills Agenda, the study evaluated the feasibility of knowledge transfer mediated by international co-creation teams, composed of students and researchers, to address companies’ research and innovation challenges. This model complements the existing university-business collaboration schemes.
The European Union is a global leader in terms of scientific output. Still, there is a demand in Europe to find new tools and methods to improve Europe’s ability to create innovative output, specifically new products, services and businesses. The expansion of the interaction between academia and industry is not only a key to the creation of new ideas but also to knowledge exchange and valorisation. The benefits of industry-academia knowledge interactions include the facilitation of knowledge transfer and the boosting of private investment in research. Furthermore, collaboration between academia and industry leads to more inventions and patents, and facilitates the flow of the latest technologies and talents into companies. Additionally, it enhances researchers’ and students’ skills and understanding of the market needs, and nurtures an entrepreneurial mindset.
A co-creation approach in the context of industry–academia cooperation is a relatively new way to interact, and practices, policies and tools involved are still evolving. Co-creation is based on an open innovation approach, in which innovation work brings together stakeholders from multiple organisations (rather than in a single organisation) and, often, from multiple knowledge and cultural domains.
The study builds on the empirical evidence provided by five SMEs from Hungary, Poland, and Finland, and from a variety of industries, co-creating with cross-border student teams from 14 higher education institutions across 7 different European countries. The challenges were created for the teams according to criteria such as international relevance, alignment with EU missions, as well as the company’s R&D needs. Within the co-creation teams, the goal was to come up with new ideas and perspectives on the innovation problem. Finally, in the valorisation phase of the project, the teams shared their findings with different stakeholders and provided them with their input for the next stages of the innovation process.
The study shows that the co-creation experience adds value for all parties and yields ideas that can be valuable for the next stages of the innovation process. In the survey that followed the cooperation process, the industry actors concluded that co-creation activities are new and agile ways of interaction, where decisions are not critical, and where there is room for trial and error. Moreover, they provide opportunities for companies to scout talented people who meet their needs based on their performance during the co-creation project. For students, the co-creation experience encouraged them to participate in innovative initiatives, such as cooperating with companies when writing their thesis or launching a start-up company.
The study provided other useful lessons. Firstly, neutral facilitation ensures the optimal operating environment required for genuine co-development. Secondly, the co-creation method works only when team members are motivated and have a personal incentive to participate. Thirdly, successful co-creation requires clear rules for stakeholders to follow. They are the prerequisite for building trust, interaction, and innovation. What is more, the roles of each party must be considered carefully when defining the intellectual property framework. Finally, this co-creation mechanism is exploratory in nature and does not work directly for the commercialisation of research outputs. Instead, it can be best used to identify market signals and changes that provide information to support commercialisation decisions and future-proof go-to-market product strategies.
The lessons learned and the experiences from the feasibility study will give input to the Guiding Principles for knowledge valorisation, which are being prepared, under the new European Research Area (ERA – action 7). The Guiding Principles will update and extend the 2008 Commission Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities, including industry-academia knowledge exchange.