Abstract
At Shimane University, the Technology Community Lab integrates small-group interactive research presentations and Lightning Talks (LT) to facilitate collaboration between regional companies and the university. This program has been conducted in both in-person and online formats. This study aims to elucidate the differences in effectiveness between these two formats in fostering regional collaboration by comparing key indicators, including participant numbers, follow-up meetings, and joint research funding. The results indicate no significant difference in participant numbers or follow-up meetings for small-group interactive research presentations between in-person and online sessions. However, in LT sessions, participant numbers were higher in the in-person format. Regarding joint research funding, the average amount received from small-group interactive research presentations was approximately 860 thousand yen, while the total funding from the first in-person LT session reached 2.6 million yen. In contrast, no joint research funding was generated from any of the online sessions. These findings highlight the potential advantages of in-person formats in fostering university-industry collaboration, particularly in terms of securing joint research funding.
https://ror.org/01jaaym28 
