Building collaboration between academia and local authorities: a case study in Norway

摘要

Universities and their environments are aimed to collaborate towards a better society. Academics must spread and apply their knowledge in real settings in order to advance in their careers and, on the other hand, local players present problems that may need the application of advanced knowledge and sometimes basic research to be solved. In the specific scenario of local authorities, this collaboration presents special features given the intrinsic and close relationship among actors and the non-profit orientation of these organisations. This paper presents the construction overtime of the collaboration between a department of a public university and a municipality conducted in Norway. Results show a remarkable outcome in terms of cross-fertilisation for both research institutions and local authorities.