Universities still shun industry collaboration

Academics are facing difficulties in forming partnerships with companies, despite Horizon 2020’s greater emphasis on university-industry cooperation, a conference of research managers has been told.

The rate of university-industry collaboration has not increased between Framework 7 and Horizon 2020, according to the results of a survey of research managers. The survey was presented at the conference of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators in Brussels on 10 March.

The survey was conducted by Earma’s European Research Area working group, which monitors policy developments in EU research. Almost 40 per cent of respondents said that their researchers had little interest in the programmes under the industrial leadership pillar of Horizon 2020.