Abstract:

Recently, the issue of cooperation between universities and businesses has emerged in the literature on the subject as a vital issue. One of the most important factors affecting this situation is the changing role of the university. At present, universities are expected to be highly flexible and open to the needs of all stakeholders: students, local government institutions and companies. Cooperation with businesses is extremely important in this context, because it can be implemented in many fields, such as university lectures given by business practitioners, trainings and internships for students, conferences and symposia offered, diploma theses developed in order to satisfy the needs of companies, etc. Joint research projects implemented by entrepreneurs and scientists have become one of the most popular forms of university-business cooperation in recent years. Many of university-business teams aim to commercialize the results of their joint projects.

The aim of the present study is to identify factors determining the cooperation between universities and businesses.

The author sought to offer answers to the question which factors exert the strongest impact upon the success rate of such a form of cooperation. The case study examined the city of Lublin, a city located in East-Central Poland. Lublin stands out in relation to other cities in Poland due to its specific, academic character. Empirical studies were conducted by means of a case study. They commenced with the review of literature and projects executed in university-business cooperation. Based on the above, a survey questionnaire was developed. It addressed employees of Lublin City Office responsible for mediating the cooperation between universities and business representatives.

The analysis of results enabled the determinants of university-business cooperation to be established. Several practical recommendations were offered. These may facilitate this cooperation in other regions.

Keywords:

University-business cooperation, determinants of cooperation, commercialization, joint projects, innovation.