Research with companies has a greater impact

Swedish research

Research conducted in collaboration with business people has a greater scientific and technological impact than traditional university research. This is demonstrated by a new thesis from the Gothenburg School of Economics, Esprey reports.

To examine the impact of the research, three factors were compared: the scientific journal in which the research was published, the number of citations within academia, and the number of citations in patent applications.

The thesis shows that research projects undertaken in collaboration between universities and companies receive more citations from scientific journals and from patent applications than those undertaken solely under academic sponsorship.

The fact that the results of collaborative research are cited more often means that they are considered more valuable for future research and technology development than traditional research, says Victor Ström, a doctoral student at the Gothenburg School of Economics.

The results of my thesis show that collaborative projects are positive. So I think it's important to give researchers opportunities to move between different fields. It brings knowledge in both directions and creates more understanding of each other – which in turn strengthens relationships and provides better research,” says Viktor Ström.

Esprey: Collaborative projects create greater impact than other research