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Academic-Business Collaboration

Business-led research can broaden the teaching and learning horizons
for both professors and students, and help increase companies' competitiveness, writes DR K K LEUNG

Academics are often said to look down on business people for their one-track money mindedness, while business people mock academics for living in their ivory towers. Such views were thoroughly discussed by academics in the United Kingdom last year, and resulted in a report entitled, "Aambert Review of Business-University Collaboration."

Academic and business collaboration (ABC) is only just starting to take off in Hong Kong. Only recently has the University Grants Committee (UGC) encouraged "academic staff" -- in all tertiary institutions -- to be engaged in public service, consultancy and collaboration work with the private sector in areas where they have special expertise.

Raising the level of synergy between academics and business people sounds logical, although the two are not natural partners.  Scholars need to keep pace with rapidly advancing technology and a knowledge-based economy by equipping themselves with multi-disciplinary research. Companies, on the other hand, have to rely on the expertise and informed views of experts when making certain decisions. Because they cannot afford to conduct large-scale research and development alone, academics are in a position to fulfil this need.

That is why business-led research can broaden the teaching and learning horizons for both professors and students, while research-led businesses can increase companies' competitiveness. As such, knowledge/technology transfer is a must for universities and their business partners. Through sustained ABC efforts, researchers and industrialists can both benefit from working with each other.

However, certain issues between academic institutions and business, especially those relating to intellectual property, need to be discussed. The commercialisation of IP often causes controversies over ownership and its economic value, and SMEs. The IP issue can be resolved by negotiation and an agreed protocol for the ownership of patents and licenses in research collaboration.

As for SMEs, the issue has to be settled by the government with its substantial funding support for business R&D towards SMEs as recommended by the Lambert Review in the U.K. In Hong Kong, the SME Development Fund, Innovation and Technology Fund, Applied Research Fund and Professional Services Development Assistance Scheme can be further substantiated and the schemes expanded by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. The government can also borrow the example of the U.K. and consider setting up a standing "third stream of funding" (apart from teaching and research) to promote knowledge exchange between academics and business people.

In view of this strategic collaboration, the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has become one of the forerunners in Hong Kong to meet the ABC challenge by establishing the CityU Enterprises Limited in 1991, CityU Professional Services Limited (formerly CityU Consultants Limited) in 1992, CityU Business & Industrial Club in 1993, and Technology Transfer Office (formerly Industrial and Business Development Office) in 1993. In response to the recommendation made by the Chief Executive's Commission on Innovation and Technology on strengthening technological infrastructure and promoting technology entrepreneurship, CityU established four applied strategic development centres in 2000.

Quality Evaluation Centre (QEC) is one such centre. It aims to promote and stimulate high quality applied research and development initiatives at CityU, by transferring their research results to the relevant sectors, and so enhance the quality of social and public services in local and regional communities. The contribution which a university-based centre can bring to this mission is the development of evaluation guidelines. QEC also supports cooperation with industry, commerce and the community, and can effectively respond to local and regional needs and the effects of rapid social and technical change in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. The long term deliverables are programme innovation and improved productivity of service delivery as well as an increased use of applied social science techniques in assessing the interaction between technology and social services.

In this ever-changing business environment, every profession needs not only to explore more business opportunities, but also to devise effective business plans and well-established governance so as to increase the cost efficiency

and effectiveness of the enterprise and enhance its quality of services. QEC, since its establishment in January 2000, is dedicated to providing two professional applied social studies research services, namely, questionnaire survey and programme evaluation, for assisting government, business corporate sectors and the third sectors to improve their services and productivity. 

For questionnaire surveys, QEC mainly collects data through telephone interviews, self-reported questionnaire surveys, individual and focus group interviews, uses statistical package for the social sciences for data analysis, and makes presentations and written reports. For example, since 2000, QEC conducts a longitudinal study on property management services for a renowned property developer through self-reported questionnaire surveys. The study aims to collect opinions on the quality of services provided by the property company from both occupants and owner incorporations, understanding their needs, and improving the quality of services provided. According to last year's survey , QEC made constructive recommendations on producing quality services in a report which has assisted the company in uplifting both the quality and standard of its services.

The work of programme evaluation is broad. From a micro perspective, it can be an evaluation of the effectiveness of a project within a company. From a macro perspective, it can help organisations conduct an overall evaluation of their operation, governance framework and management mode, in order to carry out various renovations, and to enhance efficiency and productivity. In 2002, QEC secured a UGC Competitive Earmarked Research Grant of over HK$0.75 million to conduct a pioneering study on "Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for Urban Renewal Projects in Hong Kong," the result of which will have policy implications for stakeholders including the government, land developers, and its residents. Since May 2002, with the support of the SME Training Fund, over 20 training courses have been organised for different sectors. These courses aim at enhancing industrial and commercial organisations' staff quality and productivity, and increasing their competitiveness. In future, QEC will outreach to conduct applied R&D projects in the Pearl River Delta. Plans are being made on an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), to introduce professional employee enhance-ment projects and contribute to the economic development of and cooperation between the Mainland and Hong Kong. It is our belief that academics and business people will benefit from the exchange of knowledge in a win-win scenario.

K.K. Leung, Ph.D., Director, Quality Evaluation Centre, City University of Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.cityu.edu.hk/qec