Abstract:

University-Industry (U-I) collaboration has been widely discussed, given the foreseen multi-layered benefits for the involved parties (not only from an individual standpoint, but also at an organizational and institutional level). Viewed as a source of knowledge and a stimulus to innovation, U-I collaboration can be set up with different degrees of complexity and scope, according to the contexts in which it takes place. Tourism, as a highly competitive activity constantly striving for innovation, is envisioned as a fertile ground for the establishment of U-I partnerships that can foster the development of more creative and innovative proposals for the market (tourists/ companies/ organisations), while contributing to the reinforcement of the so-called third mission of Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Despite the constraints portrayed in the academic literature, such as the structure of the tourism sector's business and the non-existence of entry barriers, there is growing recognition and research-based evidence on the importance of this type of collaboration, whether implemented through formal or informal mechanisms. Although the advantages for companies and schools are widely recognised, few studies have explored the students' perspective, and approached this type of partnerships and collaborations from the standpoint of their role in the learning journey and the development of students' skills. This research aims to deepen the knowledge about U-I collaboration in tourism, by presenting the results of two interdisciplinary projects involving final years students of a Tourism Activities Management degree and two tourism organizations. The approach is exploratory in nature, focused on the individual dimension of U-I collaboration, and supported by the analysis of the results of two surveys applied to the students involved. The students’ overall perspective and general expectations, as well as the value placed in the interaction with ‘real problems, institutions, and people’, were some of the topics considered. The possibility to see their proposals implemented in real contexts and the opportunity of interacting and getting feedback from partner organisations were some of the facets most valued by students, who have globally shown interest in this type of initiative, which is considered an added value to their learning journey and a facilitator to their entry in the labour market.

Keywords:

University-Industry Collaboration, Partnerships, Co-creation, Project-based Learning, Tourism Higher Education, Portugal.