Elements influencing knowledge management in university–business–government collaboration: Case studies in National Institutes of Science and Technology

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1576
• Date: 01 July 2018
• Author: Suzana Xavier Ribeiro,Marcelo Seido Nagano
• Published date: 01 July 2018

CASE STUDY

Elements influencing knowledge management in university–

business–government collaboration: Case studies in National

Institutes of Science and Technology

Suzana Xavier Ribeiro |Marcelo Seido Nagano

Department of Production Engineering,

São Carlos School of Engineering, University

of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil

Correspondence

Marcelo Seido Nagano, São Carlos School of

Engineering, University of São Paulo, Brazil,

Av. Trabalhador Sãocarlense, 400–Centro, Zip

Code: 13566‐590 São Carlos, SP, Brazil.

Email: drnagano@usp.br; drnagano@sc.usp.br

The aim of this article is to investigate how certain characteristics of university–busi-

ness–government collaborations facilitate creating and managing knowledge and,

consequently, innovation, focusing on the particularities of the scenario in Brazil. This

topic was chosen as there are few studies that comprehensively identify and analyze

the main aspects of this type of collaboration. As conceptual basis, there are correla-

tions between knowledge management and Triple Helix theories, the latter being the

principal model referring to university–business–government cooperation. The

research was conducted using multiple case studies at three National Institutes of

Science and Technology in the health area. The principle findings show the impor-

tance of university–business–government collaboration as it enables, as in the case

of participating in a National Institutes of Science and Technology program, the crea-

tion of an organization structure lead by a coordinator who directs the flow of knowl-

edge between member organizations, stimulating innovation.

1|INTRODUCTION

In the so‐called knowledge society, characterized by the marked evo-

lution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and by

new challenges to be faced by contemporary organizations,

implementing collaborative processes is considered essential in the

search for sustainable competitive advantage.

It is widely accepted in science, technology, and innovation stud-

ies that a country's innovative capacity depends not only on the

strength of individual “actors”such as corporations, universities, or

government research laboratories but mainly on the relationship

between these actors (Morlacchi & Martin, 2009; Weckowska,

2015). The proper functioning of these relationships can stimulate

economic growth (Salter & Martin, 2001) and help solve social prob-

lems (Weckowska, 2015).

In this context, cooperation between universities, businesses, and

government is considered important for economic and social growth

and development (Cunningham & Link, 2015, Morlacchi & Martin,

2009, Schofield, 2013, Weckowska, 2015) and the Triple Helix, pro-

posed by Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff (2000), is now recognized as fun-

damental for knowledge transfer and innovation. This model, which is

one of the most referenced in the area, addresses the interrelationships

between universities, businesses, and government seeking to identify

how to create an environment that stimulates the innovation, diffusion,

and transfer of knowledge necessary for society's development.

The literature on the subject is relatively fragmented as yet

(Ankrah & Al‐Tabbaa, 2015; Perkmann et al., 2013) and focuses mainly

on studies addressing the main barriers and motivations for university

and business collaboration with focuses on these two organizations

(Bruneel, D'Este, & Salter, 2010). There is still a shortage of papers

identifying and analyzing the main aspects of this form of interorgani-

zational collaboration in an integrated way, and that also include the

role of the government (Ankrah & Al‐Tabbaa, 2015), and how these

factors can best be worked on to enable a more effective cooperation

relationship, contributing to the goals of each institution and, above

all, those of society as a whole.

In this context, this article investigates how certain characteristics

of university–business–government cooperation—including the three

helixes—facilitate creating and managing knowledge and, conse-

quently, innovation, focusing on the particularities of the Brazilian sce-

nario. Initially, knowledge management and university–business–

government cooperation theory is synthesized, and the dimensions

influencing them are presented: structural, relational, cognitive, and

context, as well as the current panorama of this form of collaboration

Received: 26 November 2017 Accepted: 3 May 2018

DOI: 10.1002/kpm.1576

Knowl Process Manag. 2018;25:207–219. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/kpm 207