Implementing university-industry joint product innovation projects

This article provides a grounded process description of product innovation projects that are initiated by industrial firms and implemented jointly wit h not-for-profit technology institutions such as technological universities and government research laboratories. This process description is limited to those joint product development projects between collaborators with comp lementary expertise, which are of strategic importance to both collaborator s and involve the joint creation of new technology or significant improveme nt over present technology. The process description contributes significant ly to the literature on collaborative product development by depicting in d etail the essential linkage of antecedent conditions and motivations for th e joint project initiation, to the actual project implementation process in which the two collaborators contribute complementary resources, and furthe r to the project's expected consequences. It also shows how knowledge is cr eated and transferred in projects of this type. The general process descrip tion has been developed by synthesizing in-depth case studies of such unive rsity-industry joint product innovation projects, and aids understanding of effective processes for their initiation and implementation. (C) 1999 Else vier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.