Emergent Model for Accelerating University-Industry Collaborations and Enhancing Innovation among Universities in Nigeria

Abstract

The prime role of universities is to provide effective solutions to the development challenges of their societies by serving as generators of ultramodern scientific knowledge. Majority of the contemporary developed countries possess pinnacle research universities. Universities and Industries Collaborations (UIC) has proven to be one of the formidable ways to effectively provide such support. The process requires government participation to facilitate the creation of knowledge which ultimately generate innovation and also propel the process of socio-economic improvements. Scholars have, over the years, built strong argument around the triple-helix model to ascertain that the process of the collaborations and innovation generation becomes robust when government is involved. However, some recent studies have proposed new models that have incorporated additional elements hence suggesting that, the process would be better enhanced when other elements are added to the original model. Arising from review of the findings in previous studies and other related models, this study adopted the methodology of collecting primary data from respondents across universities in Nigeria on constraints inhibiting sustained and robust UIC, intensity of UIC, intensity of Innovativeness as well as strategies used for accelerating UIC and Innovation among Universities in Nigeria. Arising from the analyses of the data and synthesis of the previous models, the study proposes an enhanced model that incorporates universities to engage in a broad range of companies rather than a few in research activities, pursue global corporate-sponsored research opportunities, establish clear framework of IPRs agreement prior to commencement of collaboration with industries, engage industry experts in university research and innovation activities, seek guidance on the technologies and techniques required for practical application of knowledge beneficial to the society, as well as adopt inventive methods to integrating new technology associated skills in the curriculum as additional critical elements capable of accelerating innovativeness of universities in Nigeria.