Do we compromise our academic freedom when starting a

collaboration with an industrial partner?

How?• Industry PhD• Externally funded projects• Collaborations• Contract research• Informal collaboration

Pros• Good for society• More research done• More connected to ”real

world”• Better wage

Potential issues

• Double loyalties• Double expectations -> work too much• Self-censorship• Publication• Limitations in development of new fields

Academic research / industrial research outside collaboration

• Very applied research with limited application. • PhD. students: who really benefits from my research

activity?o societyo scientific worldo one country’s economyo one particular company

• Study industrial case• Conduct development work in university:

o could be done by industrial actorso has already be done by industrial actors

• The Association of Swedish Higher Education:• Respect freedom of choice of research tasks, methods and publication• Follow good research practice• Openness – open for discussion and critisism• Respect for the reputation of the academic institution• Same scientific quality as other research

Official guidelines

• Swedish Research Council:• From terms and conditions to grant industrial PhD project funding:

Knowledge transfer should be mutual and involve a new or advanced project collaboration between two different research environemnts. The project should also provide ”industrial benefit”.

Official guidelines

Solutions

• Transparency about collaboration• Avoids mistrust and suspicion

• Written agreement specifing• Data ownership (Company <-> Researcher)• Quarantine period for interesting results • What is to be done (specific <-> general)

• Open discussion about the work• Research or ”product development”

• Very specific agreement• No possibility to explore interesting areas not mentioned (limits academic

freedom)• What can be published and not

• Non specific agreement• Increases academic freedom• Double loyalties

• What is research and what is ”product developement”• Increases risc for double expectations

• A non specific agreement is more attractive despite risks for conflicts due to increased academic freedom• Much responsiblity on the responible researchers to be aware of • Double loyalties• Self censorship • Publication of results