Abstract:

The present paper analyses the case of a university-industry-government partnership to identify the needs and challenges of local enterprises in the Laja-Bajío region in Mexico, facing the upcoming logistical development projects for the region.

In order to achieve this purpose, a case analysis is carried out about the collaboration that a local private university, the state ministry of economy and the coordinating body that brings together main business organisations and chambers; carried out to conduct a diagnosis of the needs and challenges of companies in the region towards the integration of new logistics development projects. The case study is presented in chronological order of the development of the assessment project -context of the project, planning, design, data collection, data analysis and presentation of findings- and it emphasizes the collaboration between the three organisations and the contributions produced by the partnership. The findings of the diagnosis show that companies in the Laja-Bajío region have the potential to adapt and grow in order to be part of the improved supply chain if they receive in advance accurate information of the specific actions that will be taken and of the new companies that will be installed in the region according to the upcoming logistics development plans. Also, the companies expressed the importance of ensuring safety for all people, companies and the community in general, so that the planned development is possible.

Complementarily, the findings of the diagnosis carried out in partnership themselves make the case for the need of further and continuing industry-university-government collaboration for the achievement of the upcoming logistical development projects for the region.

Finally, the case analysis shows that some of the common barriers and enablers for the university-industry-government collaboration identified in the literature were present in the partnership and it explains how they were overcome. Also, best practices and lessons learned are described for partnerships that include a high number of organisations involved.

Keywords:

University-industry-government partnership, local companies, SME, logistical development plans, SWOT analysis, business ecosystem.