Barnes, Tina Angela (2000) A framework for the effective management of collaborative R&D projects : executive summary. EngD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

There is a growing trend toward collaboration, both between companies, and between
academia and industry. Studies have linked the use of external sources of information
and expertise to the enhanced generation of innovation. Innovative companies, in turn,
have been shown to out-perform non-innovating companies in terms of both growth
and profit. Therefore, against a background of increasing international competition
and rapid technological change, governments are actively encouraging collaboration as
a means of improving innovation efficiency and thereby enhancing wealth creation.
Collaboration provides companies with the means by which to advance technologically,
at lower cost and with less inherent risk. Collaboration also provides access to a
greater breadth and depth of knowledge and technologies than would normally be
possible through internal development. For universities the benefits include additional
public and private funding, and increasingly, licensing and patenting income, as a result
of technology transfer activities.
However, these considerable potential benefits are often not realised in practice. The
major reason is that collaborations between, often diverse, organisations, need
considerable management effort in order to be successful. To this end, considerable
research (reported in the literature) has been devoted to identifying management
"success" factors, factors which where present, enhance the probability that a
collaboration will be successful. This information was used by the author to develop a
best practice model for collaboration management that is more comprehensive than has
previously been reported in the literature. To date however, the literature provides no
guidance as to how the full range of these success factors could be applied in the every
day context of managing a collaboration.
The Framework presented here provides a mechanism for achieving more effective
collaboration management in the form of a simple-to-apply management tool. The
Framework was developed on the basis of case study research and disparate sources of
relevant published research. Essentially, it provides a means of applying the current
body of knowledge in a way that does not assume prior experience of collaboration
management on the part of the user. Through the provision of reference material and
diagnostic features, the Framework encourages an awareness of the key issues
affecting the success of collaborations and prompts the manager to take appropriate
and timely action to prevent the occurrence of problems later on. The main feature of
the Framework's feedback mechanism, the Collaboration Chart, enables the user to
identify quickly, specific areas where problems could arise. The concept of the
Framework is new to the collaboration field and as such it constitutes the main
innovation to result from this research.
Furthermore, while ihe Framework was originally conceived as a specific aid to
collaboration between WMG and its industrial partners, this research indicates that it is
potentially much more widely applicable. The Framework is certainly shown to be
applicable to other university-industry collaborations, and with some modification,
could also be applied to industry-industry collaborations. In addition, the Framework
would lend itself to development into an evaluation tool that funding bodies could use
to assess research proposals. The potential value of the Framework therefore extends
beyond industry and academia, to ensuring the efficient use of public funds.

Item Type:	Thesis (EngD)
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education T Technology > T Technology (General)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Academic-industrial collaboration, Cooperation, Research and development projects
Official Date:	May 2000
Dates:	Date Event May 2000 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	School of Engineering
Thesis Type:	EngD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Pashby, Ian ; Pitchford, Neil
Sponsors:	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) ; Rover Group (Firm)
Extent:	vi, 74 leaves
Language:	eng

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