University-industry collaboration

Abstract

Since the mid-1990s, a substantial amount of public research fund has been allocated to universities in Japan. Such a circumstance has led to the awareness that university-industry collaboration is expected to function as a fund source (for product development) and that universities may act like private companies in the market. However, a university’s conventional function as a center of free academic research and education should still be maintained. In this case, university-industry collaboration can be regarded as an activity promoting education and research from the practical point of view.