COMPANIES are making forays into Britainâs universities in record numbers, seeking academics who can help to solve their technological problems. This yearâs Innovation Trends survey, compiled by the Confederation of British Industry and the NatWest bankâs technology unit, shows an unprecedented level of collaboration between industry and academia.
Companies of all sizes and in all sectors of the economy now realise the value of working with academics. âWe had to do a double take on the figures because we didnât believe them at first,â says Philip Wright of the CBIâs Technology Group.
The survey was compiled from interviews with almost 400 companies in manufacturing and service industries, ranging in size from multinationals to firms run by âone man and his dogâ.
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The 2 per cent of manufacturing companies reporting that they intended to reduce their links with academia were heavily outnumbered by 48 per cent which said they would increase collaboration â a balance of 46 per cent. This is up from 29 per cent last year and 22 per cent in 1993 (see Diagram). Even in service industries such as construction, retailing and banking, four-fifths of the firms interviewed had links with academics, with a record 39 per cent expecting to have more links this year.
âCompanies are seeing academics as resources, and realising they canât do it all themselves,â says Wright. Academics are also changing their attitude towards industry. âFor a long time, the research carried out in industry was not thought to be intellectually challenging, but academics now realise thatâs not the case,â he says.
As well as their new-found links with academics, companies are forging more research collaborations with other companies, both in Britain and abroad, and with government research institutes and independent contract research organisations. âThey are not cutting back on in-house research, but they are adding value to what they already have with these outside contacts,â says Duncan Matthews, head of NatWestâs innovation and growth unit.
John Mulvey of Save British Science welcomes the increasing partnership, as long as it is not a sign that poverty is driving scientists into the arms of industry. âWhat we would be worried about, in the absence of adequate government funding for basic research, would be having to turn to industry for money for research,â he says.
