Satisfaction with university-industry relationships: the impact of commitment, trust and championship

Abstract

Over recent years, Research and Development (R&D) has been increasingly outsourced to specialised institutions such as universities, leading to an increased number of linkages between industry and universities. Despite the development and importance of these relationships, empirical studies examining the factors influencing the performance of such linkages are still sparse. This study, based on relationship marketing theory, aims to ascertain the effect of championship, trust and commitment on partners’ satisfaction with university-industry relationships. The paper discusses 136 responses to a survey of academics involved in university-industry relationships at Australian universities, revealing associations between the personal engagement of individuals (championship), trust, commitment and satisfaction. The paper concludes with recommendations and directions for future research.