Getting behind industry-public sector research linkage: a novel research design

摘要

Policy research on the interaction between in-dustry and public sector research (PSR) has tended to focus on institutional mechanisms and has been more descriptive than analytical. This paper outlines a research design which seeks to avoid these failings. It investigates the extent, nature and reasons for links between industry and PSR in terms of the linkage activity by whichprivate- and public-sector researchers interact, and the associated knowledge flows: the latter element is novel. It analyses the PSR contribution to innovation in the context of all the knowledge used in the course of innovative RD&D. The conceptual basis of this research design is outlined and the methodology is de-tailed The approach has potential value both to public policy and to an enhanced under-standing of industrial innovation.