Bridging the Gap between Academia and Industry

Why Do We Need To Bridge The Gap?

The reason that there are so few jobs to be found in academe is not because there are too few
colleges, universities, departments, or programs. If anything, there are too many. The problem is
that the number of available jobs is vastly outnumbered by the number of people applying for
them. There are simply too many PhDs produced every year for the higher education
establishment to absorb them all, despite the absurd degree to which it has absorbed them into
jobs that have nothing to do with traditional research and teaching.

Today, businesses are looking for innovative solutions from the academia to help meet
their business needs of higher productivity and lower costs, yet increase efficiencies. In
the area of talent, Pakistan has to strengthen its technical and management resources as
these are crucial to knowledge-based industries. A market-driven approach to higher
education has to be fostered in order to encourage manpower development from the
grassroot level itself.

So What Gives?
In the third millennium, we have witnessed a lot of technological changes. These
changes, however, have not been properly used by our graduates in order to compete in
the present scenario. It is essential to have industry-academia interactions which will
help to impart relevant knowledge and will be sustainable in the changing conditions.

Academic institutions seemingly place great importance and value on closer interaction
with industry and R&D organizations. At the level of industry participation in
technology development, some interaction has been witnessed between large public
and private sector enterprises and academic institutions.

Still, industry support to basic research is virtually non-existent. Laboratory

utilization by industry for developmental purposes and for product testing has seen
some success. With the help of continuing education programs (CEP), participation
from the industry is gradually increasing. The areas in which interaction is possible
include industry support to basic research for knowledge creation, industry
participation in technology development involving some exploratory work, academic
intervention in solving industry problems, and laboratory utilization by industry and
CEP.

Current Status of Cooperation between Academia and Industry

1. Academics are driven by their conferences and technical journals and their need
to publish.
 2. Academics seldom attend industrial conferences as they feel this is below their
standard.
3. Academics look down upon industrial newspapers and magazines.
4. Academics are not aware of the problems and constraints of industry.
Reasons behind the Gap between Academia and Industry
1) Academics and Industrialists have a different mindset; therefore both are living
in two different worlds.
2) Both Academics and Industrialists are pursing different goals entirely. The
Academic is striving for recognition from his or her peers. The Industrialist is
striving to survive.
3) Industry thinks in terms of short range goals whereas the Academic has a long
range perspective.
4) Industry prefers proven solutions with a low risk, whereas Academia is
interested in creating new solutions with a high innovation rate.
5) Industry seeks the minimum solution to minimize their risk, whereas Academia
strives for a maximum solution to maximize their recognition.
6) Industry is mainly concerned with costs. Academia could care less about costs, it
is mainly interested in the benefits (and prestige).

Additional Reasons Explained:

The Gap between the needs of the industry and aspirations of academic community is
very large. Academicians always have a strong feeling that unless these initiatives find
a place in industrial sector, this interaction will be confined to only developmental
activities. There is a strong mismatch in perceptions of the two on the issues related to
technology development. At present, the academic community is not geared to face this
challenge of translating an evolving idea into technology development.

Industry Needs and Expectations

Large industrial companies have the resources to invest in technology development
initiatives. Academic participation is often needed in minor technological innovation.
Small scale industries often depend on support in the areas of design, process
improvement and machinery performance, etc. They also rely on processes to yield a
product which already exists. In some cases, problem solving may simply amount to
product testing and production enhancement in terms of quantity and quality. In such
interactions, industries expected time frames have been immediate and investment is
directed towards efforts that promise result oriented solutions.

Academia Expectations
An academician shows interest normally in problems that are intellectually
challenging. His or her areas of interest lie in technology development initiatives and
methods related to process and design improvement. Researchers have strong
preference for working towards creation of knowledge in specialized areas. For
industry-related problems, a researcher has to explore a variety of options which is time
consuming.

In academic institutions, the time frame of an academician is governed by research

guidance and teaching assignments.

Academicians are oriented towards R&D activities of the industry for funds which
helps them to sustain their broader research interests.

Avenues for the Future

A support system is needed to ensure a focused involvement of both academia and
industry. Academic institutions should develop systems and procedures to ensure that
industry expectations are met without any compromise on academic aspirations.
Initially, academia should conceive and take up short term, small budget projects which
would instill confidence in industry and encourage it to start development projects.
Industry also has to give a fresh look to its R&D efforts. This process must be guided by
a complete shift from trading set up to a technologically- driven entrepreneurial set up.
Academia should tilt the focus of basic research to applicative research. Research
initiatives involving industry people with flexible formats could serve as the first step in
this direction.

Venues should be created for close interaction starting from conceptualization down
to commercialization. Setting up of technology incubation centers in close proximity of
academic institutions could provide for fostering wholesome technology development.

Interaction between industry and doctoral programs

In the Pharmaceutical industry, Pharmaceutical education is a foundation for its
structure. For example, R&D and pharmaceutical technologies are built up by
supplying qualified pharmacists to the industry. The interaction should begin when
researchers are doctoral students and should continue well after they start their careers.

Some institutions fear that if students are involved in industry work, it might distract
them from their doctoral work. However, many professors and faculty are willing to
put this fear aside. They may realize that allowing students to be involved with
industry could have very positive benefits. Not only could it boost doctoral
productivity/output, motivation, and potentially lead to a job (or even a start-up
company someday), it would further foster the academia-industry relationship as the
cycle continues with new post-docs and grad students.

Those who cannot secure academic positions will seek out industry positions and
will need to acquire necessary skills, knowledge, and experience in order to
successfully break into industry. Industry provides research topics, funding and access
to data for research. Industry also provides an opportunity for employment outside the
traditional academic setting.

Academia-Industry Interaction Should Be Considered As Part of The Education

What are some examples of this? Well what are OPTIONAL coursework or classes that
can be taken? The big difference here is that these classes should not be taught just by
the school of business from people who lie ONLY in academia and know nothing about
industry. There should be industry PhDs teaching these classes since they bring to the
table real world experience and examples.

Also, with the presence of industry PhDs on campus, this should foster some sort of
relationship. More importantly, this would allow for recruitment of outstanding
candidates who lie in academia and are looking to break into industry. Keep in mind
that grad students and post-docs arent the greatest at networking, so this would also
allow for some exposure outside of their mundane lab environment.

Apart from classes, biotech/pharma/healthcare industry needs to be on campus with

clear offerings for internships. The incentive is that you are recruiting the best and
brightest to strengthen and grow your company. How can you possibly obtain industry
experience while in grad school without an internship? How can you possibly compete
against someone who has a PhD with industry experience and was just recently laid
off?

A 3 month summer internship would dramatically increase a post-docs or grad

students chance of landing a job in industry in this down economy. But until an
academia-industry relationship is fostered on all levels (keep reading below), there will
be little incentive to help struggling post-docs and grad students with offering
internships and optional coursework that could give them an edge. This is definitely an
employers market and they know it. But ignoring the problem that there is a growing
gap between academia and industry will only hurt our economy further and leave more
people unemployed.

A list of Sample Coursework (With Industry Sponsor): Financial Accounting

Principals, Corporate Finance, Organizational Behavior, Bioscience Strategy, Market
Assessment and Market Strategy, Business Operations, Clinical Trials Design,
Conduct and Strategy, International Business and Global Health, Entrepreneurial
Management, Applied Entrepreneurship, Product Management, Bioethics and Law,
etc.

If Coursework Is Not An Option:

At the very least, companies should sponsor a series of lectures and presentations from
distinguished professionals from the industry on or off campus. In addition, this could
include networking events (Happy Hours), video shows on some industry projects,
group discussions, debates and field trips to various industrial companies. After
lectures or presentations, grad students and post-docs should have the chance to meet
with the speaker and discuss potential opportunities, set up an informational interview,
or further build their network.

Internships
At the completion an Elective Coursework Program (say you want to receive a minor in
an industry-specific position like Product Management), grad students and post-docs
should be allowed to apply for an internship. Obviously, corporate sponsors can still be
selective in this case. But if a grad student is in a PhD program for 5-6 years (post-docs
can last just as long) and is turned down, he or she can just reapply the following year.
A 3 month summer internship could lead to a full-time position later on down the road
with a foot in the door. After all, some experience is better than none.

Industry Team Project: Real World Experience

At the completion of ones optional coursework, there should also be a final
Industry Team Projectwhere students are to solve a real-world problem in industry.
An Industry sponsor should assign the Team Project.

You are getting the best of both worlds

First, you are getting the education you need taught by working professionals faced
with real-world problems. Second, you are getting the hands-on industry experience
you need during your doctoral or post-doctoral studies through an internship and/or
industry team-based project.

Also, having an Entrepreneurial Competition hosted by a corporate sponsor (Burrill

and Co. for example) would allow students to write a business plan, compete, and
potentially turn their plan into a start-up company with help of small grants or funding.

Going Further
The question of who holds the patent rights to a specific development is a major issue.
Academic institutions are scared of losing patent rights to a particular research where
industry is involved. At the same time several academic researchers profit from their
research through business books, industry consulting and speaking engagements.
Therefore, academic research and the pursuit of profit are not mutually exclusive.

One important way of facilitating interaction between academia and industry is for
teachers to take sabbatical at business organizations in their field of expertise. Such
involvement will facilitate mutual understanding of each others strengths and
challenges.

In order to ensure that the teaching programs and the curriculum meet the challenging
needs of the industry, senior personnel from industry should be involved as expert
members of the committees which vet changes in curriculum as well as new academic
programs. To provide a real-life exposure of the industrial world to its students, a
vacation training program (similar to an internship) can be organized. The program
can include industrial training of faculty and students with a built-in provision of
incentives as well as for the appointment of adjunct faculty from the industry.

Provision of having honorary professors/faculty both from the industry and R&D
organization gives an exposure to the students of interacting with working
professionals. Several laboratories have been sponsored by the industry. Software
worth millions of dollars have been donated by Technology companies.

Knowledge Transfer
The industry can hire significant number of students. This is a highly effective form of
technology transfer. While working in the industry, students frequently return to
universities and colleges to recruit new students.

Industry and Government Research Relationships

Many researchers are working in advisory or consulting capacities with a number of
companies. In some cases principal investigators in research hold positions on the
technical advisory board. Large scale collaborative projects are also being carried out in
certain institutions.

Summer Camps
These can be arranged in collaboration with the industry to expose the students to
various academic and extracurricular activities. As mentioned above, these can
comprise a series of lectures and presentations from distinguished professionals from
the industry and academia, video shows on some industry projects, group discussions,
debates and field trip to some industrial companies. These camps serve as a forum for
the development of overall personality, leadership, organizational skills and
exemplary team work which are essential for a successful career in addition to
academic activities.

Camps provide a platform for professionals to enrich the participants with their first
hand experiences in the field and their professional expertise.

Provision for Scale-up Operation And Entrepreneurial Ventures

Students develop new products or processes which are restricted as bench experiments.
Due to non-availability of scale up processes as a result of capital and operational cost,
the research is not able to reach the market. Interaction and informal tie ups can ensure
successful implementation of work developed in the institution.

Consultancy Services
Academic institutions can help the industrial companies by providing consultancy
services which are sought by small-scale entrepreneurs having no access to R&D and
quality control facilities. It can be in the form of evaluation of products, processes,
software development etc.

Important principles for industry academic interaction

Following principles can be used as guidelines:

a. Open academic environment: It is the responsibility of the administration, the

academic senate and departmental faculty to establish appropriate norms for
existence of an open environment
b. Freedom to publish: Freedom to publish is fundamental to the university and is a
major criterion for the research project. Faculty should be encouraged to engage
in outside projects. These at the same time, should not interfere with their
performance of teaching and research duties.