The European University Association presents a vision for universities, with a few pointers to issues in knowledge transfer.
There was an interesting difference of opinion at the high powered brainstorming session that Science|Business held in Paris last month. Does a university's knowledge transfer operation exist to make money? Or is it there for the greater good of society?
You can see a few signs of this debate in the latest "manifesto" from the European University Association, the document "A Vision and Strategy for Europe’s Universities and the European University Association". Here's the relevant bit from the document:
Many of Europe’s universities were created to serve their regions and local or regional business and industry and they welcome the opportunity to do this in modern conditions. European companies and universities have made less than optimal use of each other as potential partners. This is part of a general under-investment by Europe in knowledge creation and innovation. The universities must play their part in rectifying this position by becoming more responsive to the needs of their business, enterprise and other regional partners while at the same underlining that their main focus remains to produce highly qualified graduates. Universities will become more entrepreneurial, when and if they are given the freedom to do so.
The next bit is a not so subtle pointer to any issue that is causing some friction between universities and businesses. How much should you pay to get research done in the academic world?
Industry, and the financial sector, must also learn to work with universities rather than simply taking their knowledge; in particular, they must pay a fair price for the expertise and ideas that they obtain.
There were some plaudits at the recent Brighton meeting of AURIL, the Association of University and Industry Links, for the UK's move towards "full cost accounting". The rest of Europe, it seems has yet to catch up. At the moment they often end up subsidising work done for companies. If that comes to an end it could mean higher bills for businesses who want to work with universities.
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