Motivations of academics to interact with industry: the case of nanoscience

With a special focus on the field of nanotechnology, this paper investigates motivations of academic scientists to interact with industry. The study is based on a survey of 181 nanoscientists from various disciplines and universities in Turkey. We identified three main motivations for interacting with industry: 1) to increase resources for academic research; 2) to learn from firms; 3) to commercialise research results. We found that in nanotechnology, commercialisation of research outcomes is an important motivation. In general, the importance of motivations differs according to the forms of engagement. Consulting is motivated by commercialisation while research-based interactions are driven by aims to commercialise or to learn from firms. Finding new financial resources for academic research is a strong impetus for informal interactions.