This dissertation, by comparing the agricultural biotechnology sector in the Netherlands and the UK, aims to understand the advantages and disadvantages posed by intermediary organisations for the promotion of knowledge exchange between universities and industry. An original conceptual framework has been constructed to allow a systematic analysis of intermediaries according to the functions they fulfil. The framework suggests that intermediaries can fulfil one or more of the following functions: access to human resources, access to the knowledge base, opportunities for commercialisation, access to facilities and other infrastructure, and access to networks. In order to move beyond the limitations brought about by differing nomenclature for intermediaries, the framework also proposes four ideal types of intermediaries derived from an analysis of existing intermediaries. The results of the empirical study reported here show that the roles of intermediaries are dependent on the characteristics of the sector as well as the history and configuration of existing national institutions. The policy implications of this study are several-fold. It is shown in this dissertation that application of certain dominant models of intermediaries can result in disadvantages for sectors like agricultural biotechnology that differ in important respects from the more frequently studied sectors, where these intermediaries seem to work better. This study of the agricultural biotechnology sector showed that there is space for new configurations of intermediaries such as sectoral technology transfer companies. The study highlighted that the crucial element for knowledge exchange is the production of knowledge itself. After identifying certain weaknesses in the UK agricultural sector and strengths within the Netherlands, the dissertation finds that large collaborative programs tend to facilitate knowledge exchange, while collaborative research and training can be a path for overcoming weaknesses in the system. By comparing the Netherlands and the UK, this study also showed that the presence of a strong industry is necessary for the uptake of knowledge originating from the research base.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:564451 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Candemir, Basak |
| Publisher | University of Sussex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/43343/ |
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