Public-private research collaborations: longitudinal field-level analysis of determinants, frequency and impact

Abstract

This study on public-private research collaboration measures the variation over time of the propensity of academics to collaborate with colleagues from private companies. It also investigates the change in weights of the main drivers underlying the academics' propensity to collaborate, and whether the type profile of the collaborating academics changes. To do this, the study applies an inferential model on a dataset of professors working in Italian universities in consecutive periods, 2010-2013 and 2014-2017. The results, obtained at overall and field levels, support the formulation of policies aimed at fostering public-private research collaborations, and should be taken into account in post-assessment of their effectiveness.