Industry-university interactions in a peripheral European region: an empirical study of Valencian firms

Abstract

In this paper we analyse the interactions among industry and academic staff in the Mediterranean Spanish Region of Valencia. The information comes from the manufacturing firm survey about I-U collaboration carried out in 2001 by the Valencian administration. Our findings show that the factors that had the most influence on I-U interaction are those related to firms' structural characteristics, in particular managers' qualifications and the sector of activity. Firm size was less of an influence. Firms prefer interactions related to the training of students and education of personnel rather than performance of contract R&D and joint R&D projects.