Manufacturing must embrace a framework of collaboration

Image credit: Marius George Oprea on Unsplash

“I don’t know if there are many mechanisms to make it happen”

Description
(03:30) “One element (to build competitive advantage) is creating the adequate environments for collaboration between the industries, universities and the research entities. It’s impossible that any industrial company has all the knowledge and the access to everything, right? So they need to generate this type of partnerships, specifically with research organisations and universities. If we take into account what’s needed to develop, implement and maintain technologies… the skills that will be needed and are being needed right now are a little bit different to what we were used to. So how do we get those skills? How do we manage to incorporate those skills in our way of working? For me, that is one of the critical elements here.”

Relevance
University-Business Cooperation (UBC) can be a highly positive activity for all parties involved but the majority of academics and businesses still do not engage in UBC. This limited engagement is reducing the labour market relevance of study programmes, the employability of graduates and the impact of research. A shift in thinking is required from a focus on barriers to drivers and nurturing these relationships.